Is There an Elephant in the Room?
by Sunechirei
Summary: All my life I've been asked by my mother if I want to take over Dad's business. I've always said yes. Then I met the red-haired freak I'd have to work with for the rest of my life. Now I'm not so sure I should have chosen this route... AkuRoku
1. Oh joy, I'm graduating

Dun dun dun! I have a new story for Kingdom Hearts, though it's more of a Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy mix. I'm having so much fun with this story XD And, I'm going to be posting at least one chapter a week for a while, so be prepared for constant updates on Sundays :D

This story is first person from Roxas' POV, except for a few chapters that will be from some of the other character's POVs. Also, this story will eventually have a companion story called Something About the Rain, which goes into the pasts of the characters (mainly Roxas' parents) and shows what happens to each character after the story ends. So be expecting that eventually.

Anyway, I would really appreciate reviews on this, and this is only kind of edited... I got too tired so I might just... repost it later when I finally stop being lazy.

Thanks for reading this and please enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts are only mine in my dreams... it's sad, I know...

~Sunechirei

* * *

**Oh joy, I'm graduating.**

"As of today, we are all no longer students of Twilight High, but newcomers in the world of adults. Class of 2010, I am proud to say, we have finally graduated!"

I cringed as the cheers of my class mates reached my ears, but I joined in as we threw up our caps, and let out a pathetic cheer of my own. The band began to play, and all around me people picked up the caps they had just thrown, awards the had been granted, and their diplomas before walking in a neat line out of the gym. I followed the line silently, feeling conflicted about no longer having to wake up at six in the morning, or dealing with crazy teachers. Sure, it would be nice to longer have to do those things, but still, high school had been fun.

Sort of.

My feet trudged against the tiled floor of my school as I stripped off my gown, revealing the messy suit I had been forced into over three hours ago by my best friends, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. I really didn't want to wear the stupid thing, but once Olette showed me her infamous puppy eyes, I couldn't help but agree to wear it.

"Dude! Roxas! Why the long face? We just graduated for heaven's sake. Cheer up why don't you."

I couldn't help but smile at the sound of Hayner's voice and I turned around, slinging my gown over my shoulder.

"Cheer up? You, Pence, and Olette are all leaving the city for college while I'm stuck here learning how to run my father's business. Why should I cheer up?" I asked, despite the fact that a grin had spread across my face. Hayner let out a laugh.

"Oh come on," he said, placing one hand on my shoulder, "inheriting the most successful hotel business in the world can't be _that_ bad." He continued to laugh, not quite getting that I wanted to move_ out_ of my house, not live there forever.

But he would never understand that. Hayner was one of those people who wanted everything handed to him, and the fact that he was being forced to actually go to college was like a nightmare come true for him. He had been complaining for the past eight months about having to move fifty miles and go to college without having me to cheat off of, ever since he had found out that the he was going to school on a fencing scholarship. If he and I hadn't been best friends for the past, oh say, fifteen years, I would have murdered the man.

Just as I was about to try, for the millionth time, to explain to Hayner that I wished I could go to college away from home, Olette and Pence called out to us.

"Hayner! Roxas! You aren't going to believe this!" Olette's voice was filled to the brim with excitement as she skipped over to us, hugging me, then Hayner.

"Yeah. This is totally unbelievable," Pence didn't seem quite as excited as Olette did, grabbing my attention quickly.

"What's so exciting then?" I asked, eager to know what would ruin the mood of the happy go lucky nerd.

"I got accepted into a summer program at the college I'm going to! I leave in like, three days so I can start learning to be a teacher! Isn't that awesome!" Olette squealed and jumped on me, her arms wrapping around my neck, but I was frozen. Olette was leaving in three days? I thought I had at least another two or three months before she would disappear from my life. Hayner and Pence seemed to be thinking the same things, as they had a look of disappointment lingering in their faces.

Already this day was sucking horribly.

Olette let go of my neck, and looked between me and the other two, confused. "Is something wrong? I thought you would be happy for me," she pouted, crossing her arms. Hayner laughed nervously.

"Look, Olette, we're really happy for you," he began, "but-"

"But what? Do you think I'm not going to be your guys friends anymore because I'm leaving before you? How well do you guys know me?"

"That's not what I was going to say." Hayner rolled his eyes. "We just didn't know that you were going to be gone so soon, and it's kinda a shock that we don't have another few months hanging out with you..." he trailed off, though I wasn't exactly surprised about that. Hayner had been crushing on Olette for as long as we had known her, so basically for five years. This was probably hardest for him, especially since Olette was going to be living over three thousand miles away from Hayner.

Of course, that also meant she wouldn't be living anywhere near me either. Neither would Pence. He wasn't even going to be in the same country as me.

"Are you an idiot, Hayner?" Olette laughed, "I know that I'm leaving sooner than expected. I thought I could spend some more time with you guys too. But eventually, we're all going to have to go our separate ways; why not start when you can't change your mind. Besides, we'll always have our memories of each other, right?"

I rolled my eyes. It was just like Olette to give us a speech about how our memories are always the most important things in our lives to calm Hayner down. The brat ate the crappy speech up every time, and today was no different.

My pathetic friend smiled happily and pulled Olette into a surprising hug. "Thanks for that. I guess I can learn to get by."

Pence laughed. "You know, we shouldn't be complaining at all. Roxas is the one who has to watch us leave, right Roxas?" I just smiled, silently cursing Pence for reminding me of what my life was going to be like in a few weeks. Basically, hell.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Hayner asked, letting go of Olette, "Is the mighty Roxas sulking?" I punched him in the arm.

"No, you ass. I'm reminiscing. There's a difference." Hayner rubbed his arm and punched me back.

"Both are such girlish qualities, dork."

"Well, I'm not surprised you have both of them." Scoffing, Hayner pushed me, and I nearly crashed into the wall, but I was laughing.

This was such a normal exchange between the two of us, and by now, Pence and Olette were so used to it that they started talking amongst themselves, waiting for our madness to end. Luckily for the two of them, I didn't retaliate, instead I listened to their conversation, ignoring Hayner's taunts.

"So, Pence, what are your plans for this summer?" Olette was inquiring. Pence fidgeted a bit.

"Um... I think that since you're going to be gone, that I'll probably spend the last few months of freedom staying with my grandparents so I can get used to the country I'll be living in..." he laughed nervously, glancing at me and Hayner. "Don't get me wrong guys, you're my best friends, but without Olette, it's hard to control you two."

What seemed like a day that could be redeemed, fell deeper in the pit of horrid news. First Olette, then Pence. Next thing you know, Hayner was going to be telling me that he was also going to move to his new dorm room, leaving me alone for the summer.

Luckily for me, he had no such plans.

Still, the fact that we had only been graduates for a few minutes, and I already found out that my friend group of over five years was already splitting up, was really putting a damper on my _already_ sour mood.

Olette seemed to, as always, notice how depressed I was getting, so she chirped, "Let's go get some ice cream and sit on top of the train station, like we did back in middle school." Hayner and Pence exchanged glances.

"That sounds like an awesome idea! You're the best, Olette!" The girl smiled and blushed slightly at Hayner's compliment, and I snorted, getting confused looks from my friends. I waved them off, but continued to laugh to myself.

As I said earlier, Hayner has liked Olette for forever. However, I didn't bother to mention that Olette has had a thing for Hayner since our junior year. Neither of them noticed each others infatuation, however, and no matter how I tried to hint it at them, they still thought the love was one sided.

I never understood how Olette could be so book smart, Hayner so street smart, and both still be extremely dense at the same time. This thought caused me to laugh.

"Okay, seriously Roxas, you're starting to scare me man. What's going through that messed up brain of yours?" Hayner asked poking me between the eyes. I slapped his hand away and childishly stuck out my tongue.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about. Or is it...?" I left the question hanging in the air, and enjoyed watching the sandy haired boy think hard about this statement. This caused everyone to laugh at him, and I could feel myself cheering up until...

"Roxas! Sweetie there you are! Your father and I have been looking for you for the past five minutes."

I flinched at the sound of my mother's voice, and turned sadly, knowing she was going to drag me off somewhere, without my friends, and make me talk to Dad about work. Boring...

"Now come on. We have to go out to lunch to celebrate the fact that our baby is no longer in high school," she kissed my forehead and hugged me tight, completely oblivious to how embarrassed I was becoming. I could hear Hayner and Pence snickering at my mother's display of love, and I knew Olette was watching us endearingly.

I struggled against Mom's death grip, and finally got away. "Stop it! You're going to make me the laughing stock of the school." I muttered, my face hot with embarrassment.

"Oh Roxas. You don't go to school here anymore, remember," the woman in front of me cooed, brushing my hair out of my face. I swatted her hand away.

"It's called the internet!"

"Dude, who would bother telling anyone about this on the internet?" Hayner asked, pulling out his phone. I guessed that he was about to go onto the school's WiFi and tell everyone what just happened, so I snatched the phone from him, my irritation rising with every passing second.

"You would."

Next to me, my mother sighed and started tapping her foot impatiently. "Hayner, Pence, Olette, it's really nice to see you again, but Roxas and his father have business to attend to, so I would really appreciate it if you could say goodbye," her voice was calm and sweet, though her sentence wasn't quite so.

Thankfully, my friends are used to the madness of my family, and didn't question it at all. Instead, the said goodbye to me, all with a sympathetic look (with the exception of Hayner who just snatched his phone back irritably) before I followed my mother out of the school.

* * *

The restaurant she dragged me to was extremely fancy, not that I was expecting anything else. Mom never dined at a restaurant that wasn't at least four stars. To me, the food tasted the same at almost every place, so I didn't get why we had to spend so much money for food, but that's just the way she was. Unfortunately.

"Mom, do we really have to be here? It's just lunch. Any restaurant would be good," regretted saying these words as soon as they left my mouth. Luckily, she let it pass with just a roll of her eyes, and instead led me into the back of the restaurant where my father was waiting patiently for us.

Mom smiled when she saw him and walked around the table to hug him, "Hello Cloud. We're here."

I rolled my eyes at the excitement of my mother, and my father just nodded to show he had heard her. The two of us exchanged amused glances, and I had to fight off the urge to laugh. I sat down quickly before Mom noticed anything, and pulled out my phone to see if Hayner had texted or called me.

He hadn't.

The bastard.

He knew well that I hated having lunch with my parents. Don't get me wrong, it's not because I hate them, I love my parents a lot, I just don't like having to deal with the seriousness of my mom.

"So, sweetie, how does it feel to no longer be in school?"

Of course my mom had to ask me that. It's probably the stupidest question ever, seeing as I graduated only an hour ago. How am I supposed to know what it's like to be a graduate? It just feels like I got out of school for the day, except for the fact that I knew Olette and Pence were leaving in a few days and not coming back for at least nine months.

"It feels pretty awesome," I lied, pushing back the annoying thoughts that were trying to ruin my "lovely" lunch.

"That's wonderful! Don't you think, Cloud?"

"Yeah."

How my father ended up controlling the most powerful hotel industry in the world was a mystery to me and Hayner. He was such a downer, almost never talked, and was really bad with people. It made no sense, but hey, I'm not complaining.

As Mom continued to try and get Dad to talk, my phone buzzed in my hand, signaling that I got a text. I glanced at it, trying not to let my parent's know I wasn't paying attention to them.

_Dude im so bored! Pence is tryng to lctre me and O about why we shouldnt drnk at our graduation party. I mean serusly? What's a party w/out alcehol. _

I couldn't help but laugh at this, but went silent quickly when Mom shot me a quizzical stare. Smiling, I picked up my menu in an attempt to make her ignore me, which she did. Thank God.

_A safe party. I'm gonna have to agree with Pence on this one. Don't even think about bringing anything like that to our party. If Olette doesn't kill you, I will._ I replied quickly, glancing over the food. In the end, I knew I wasn't going to get anything, but Mom didn't know that….

_Wht! R u serous man? Ur no fun._

_You're right. I'm not. And you need to learn how to spell._

_ Its txting dude. I dont need to know how._

"Roxas, you had better not be texting," my mother warned. "This is a time for family, not friends." I snapped my phone shut, giving my mom an apologetic look.

"So, what business do we have to attend to?" I said, trying to ignore the annoying buzz of my phone. "I'd like to get this over with and go hang out with my friends. We have a graduation party to go to."

"Roxas! Stop being rude!"

"Tifa..." Dad placed a hand on her shoulder, "Roxas, we need to talk about your apprenticeship with my company."

"Um... okay? Why now? Aren't I starting in two months?" Dad and Mom looked at each other.

"You didn't tell him?" Mom said, shocked.

"No. I thought you had."

"Why would I tell him? That's your job!"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that-"

"What are you guys talking about? What were supposed to tell me?" There was a feeling in my gut that told me nothing good could come out of this. Sadly, the feeling was right.

"Your father and I have decided it would be best for you to start your training tomorrow and-"

"_What_!" My chair made a nasty screeching noise as I stood up suddenly. Mom shushed me, but I refused to be quiet. "You're kidding me, right? There is no way I'm going to agree to this!" The volume of my voice was quickly rising, drawing the attention of other diners and the waiters.

Our waitress walked over to us, a concerned look on her face. "Is everything alright, sir?" she asked me.

"Obviously not!" I snapped at her. "Goodbye!"

"Roxas!"

Ignoring my mom, I snatched up my fancy coat and stalked out of the room. There was no way in hell I was going to start learning how to run this stupid business. The only reason why I was in the first place was because Olette had convinced me that it would be best, seeing as I had no other plans for my future. But seriously, I had two months to hang out with Hayner, my _best friend_ and I wasn't going to spend the majority of it busy dealing with weird, business obsessed adults.

I was so not ready for that yet.

With a sigh, I whipped out my phone and dialed Olette's number. It rang for a few seconds before the girl finally picked up.

_"Hey Roxas, what's up?" _I could barely hear Olette over the background noise where she was.

"Something close to hell."

_"Oh no! What happened?"_

"My parents decided to inform me that I'm going to be starting work tomorrow. Not in two months."

_"That's terrible! What are you going to- Ouch! Hayner, stop. Give me my-"_

_ "Dude, what's terrible? Please don't tell me it involves you not being rich anymore"_

I stopped walking, pulled the phone away from my ear for a second and stared at it with a disgusted face. Of course that's Hayner's first reaction. Sometime I could swear he was only my friend because of how much money my family had. Placing the phone back on my ear I said, "What? Of course not! It has to do with my apprenticeship. Where did Olette go?"

_"The tiny girl is currently trying to get her phone back, but she's failing... miserably. Now, what about your weird job thing? Did you lose it or something?"_

The tiny girl... yeah, that's just like Hayner.

"No, I didn't lose it. And stop flirting with Olette and give her her phone back."

_"I am so not doing that,"_ Hayner hissed, causing me to roll my eyes, _"and I'll give it back to her when you tell me what the bad news is."_

"Fine. I'm starting tomorrow. Happy?"

Silence greeted me, then rustling, then Olette.

_"I think you broke Hayner's brain."_ She said. _"You might want to get over here. Now."_

I opened my car door, slid in and started it. "I'm on my way." Closing my phone, I drove as quickly as I could, ignoring the fact that Mom had come out of the restaurant and was calling to me. I knew that telling Hayner would pretty much destroy the tiny amount of peace that had lasted throughout the day, which is why I called Olette instead. But he had to know eventually.

* * *

Driving always calmed me down, thank goodness, because if it didn't, I would have been in a murderous rage by the time I got to Pence's house. I had been thinking about what my mother had said about it being good for me to start tomorrow, and I was beginning to see her point.

Which was aggravating.

Really aggravating.

The door to Pence's house opened as soon as I got there, and I was greeted by Hayner, who seemed completely normal to me.

"Dude! There you are! I can't believe how late you are," he grabbed me, dragging me into the house without hesitation. I was extremely confused. Ten minutes ago Olette had told me I had broken Hayner's brain, now he was acting like nothing had happened. Either he was high, or he had accepted the fact that he was going to be alone for the rest of the summer. Knowing Hayner, the first one seemed more likely.

Luckily, it wasn't the case. Pence's parents were home and there was no way they would let drugs into the house. Also, Olette looked happy.

"I convinced Hayner that this was a good thing for you, and he shouldn't be so selfish. Cheered him right up."

"Oh. That's good."

"Good? Man, this is awesome! You're going to be rich and famous! Now let's get this party started."

I laughed at Hayner. This day had started out bad, got worse, got better, got worse, got much worse, but all in all, I think today was a pretty good day. After all, not everything can go the way you want, right? I couldn't see that when I was shocked back in the restaurant, but after calming down, and now, seeing Hayner accept it, I had begun to realize this was true.

But I still wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.


	2. In which I meet my doom in an elevator

Tada! Chapter two is up and running!

And guess who you get to meet in this chapter? A lot of people! Mwahahahahahahahahaha :)

Anyway, please enjoy this new chapter, and I hope you will actually review this time XD (I'm not joking. Please review)

Also, I'm debating whether or not to make this a crossover story, because later on there will be a lot of characters from other Final Fantasy games. What do you think? Should I make it a cross over with Final Fantasy?

~Sunechirei

* * *

_I can hear the music. I shouldn't be able to hear the music. _

Those were the thoughts running through my head as I stood, waiting for the elevator to come. Why was I thinking these thoughts? Well, it would be because the guy standing next to me was listening to his music so loud that I could hear it. I shouldn't have been able to. He seemed oblivious to the fact that I had been standing next to him for the past two minutes, nodding his head to the beat of the metal music playing in his ears, and when the elevator came, I debated whether or not to wait for the next one to come.

Unfortunately, I was running late for the meeting with my dad, so I sighed, and joined the strange red-headed man. Almost as soon as I entered the elevator, I could feel that someone was watching me, so I looked up, right into a pair of sea-green eyes. The guy was staring at me intently, watching my every move as I pressed the thirteenth floor button, and only looked away once the doors behind me closed.

I found this to be very strange.

There was no one in the elevator besides me and that man, which left an awkward air lingering between us. I was okay with it, but it seems the guy next to me wasn't. He yanked the earphones out, turned off the music and looked down at me.

"I hate the current atmosphere," he said, almost mockingly. I glanced up at him, only to see a grin on his face. "You look familiar. What's your name?" He asked, leaning down a bit.

Feeling uncomfortable with the current lack of distance between us, I took a step back, and answered, "Roxas Strife. Who are you?"

"Roxas Strife? The boss' son? No wonder you looked familiar." The guy laughed. "You also act the same. Who would have guessed?" He continued to snicker, and I had to resist the urge to punch him in the stomach. I was nothing like my dad. I didn't even look like him, did I?

"What does it matter to you?" I grumbled, not enjoying this conversation. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Which question would that be, Roxie?"

Roxie? Did he just call me Roxie? This was getting ridiculous. "Don't call me that. I only asked you one question."

"Aw, does the spoiled little rich boy not want a nickname? How adorable," the man cooed. I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was wrong with him. "Now, I had forgotten your question. What was it again?"

"I asked you- You know what? Never mind." I didn't know this guy, he didn't really know who I was, and there was no way we were ever going to meet again, so I figured there was no point in trying to beat an answer out of him.

Sadly, he didn't seem to think the same way I did.

"Never mind? You asked me a question, now I want to know what it is. Come on, just tell me," an arm wrapped around my shoulders as this question was asked, but I shrugged them off. Turning to the guy, I glared at him, and he caught my gaze, glaring with equal intensity. "What's wrong? Scared of the answer?"

Rolling my eyes, I looked away and said, "Why would I be afraid of your answer? I just don't care anymore." That was only half the truth. The guy did kinda scare me. Okay scratch that. He really scared me. I did _not_ want to associate with him.

Silence filled the elevator again as I watched the numbers change on the little screen. Only two more floors before I would have to face my father. Things had been... awkward when I had gotten home from my party last night. Dad had gone to bed already, but Mom was still up, reading a report by her old college professor. I think his name was Ansem. But that's not important. She was very unhappy with the fact I had taken off during lunch, and she kept me informed of this from the moment I walked into the door, until I had escaped upstairs to go to bed.

The sudden ding of the elevator doors opening disrupted my thoughts. I had a feeling Dad would be mad at me for yesterday, but then again, he almost never got mad. It was highly possible that he was just going to scold me to please Mom, and then get on with his life. Yeah, that was much more likely.

I stepped out of the elevator, feeling more confident than I had this morning, and I turned to see what that strange guy was doing, but he was gone. I was taken aback.

Did he get off on the twelfth floor? I couldn't remember it stopping there, or the button being highlighted. Then how did he…

I didn't have time to think about it, because a person called out to me.

"Roxas? There you are!" I turned to see the auburn haired secretary that worked directly for my father; Kairi. She had a broad smile spread across her face, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Mr. Strife told me you would be in today. Gosh, it's been a while hasn't it? You haven't been to the office in about a year, right?" I nodded.

"I was busy with school and whatnot, so I didn't have a lot of time." I pushed a piece of my hair out of my face, and I looked at the door hesitantly.

Kairi laughed. "I understand. Senior year can be a lot of fun, but it can also be really stressful. Anyway, your father said you can go in as soon as you get here, so go ahead," she said, pressing a small button on her desk, unlocking Dad's door. Why he had his door locked all the time didn't make any sense to me, but I suppose he had a reason. He always had a reason.

As I walked over to his office, I heard the phone behind me ring, and Kairi answering it. Normally, I wouldn't pay attention to things like this, but what she said was… interesting, to say the least.

"Hello, Cloud Strife's office, this is Kairi, how may I help you? Axel! There you are! Mr. Strife has been looking for- What? Yes. No. Axel, where are you? Why are you on the twelfth floor? Please don't tell me you've gone to bug Ellie and Riku again… Fine, I'll let him know."

Interesting, right?

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay to ask Kairi who she was talking to and what she said meant, as I had a meeting with Dad.

_ Crap._

I opened the door as quietly as I could, trying not to alert my dad I was present, but apparently no one had bothered to oil the thousand dollar door, and it squeaked. Squeaked goddammit! You'd think that if my dad could afford a door that costs a thousand dollars for his office, he could afford to buy some oil. Heck he could probably afford to buy a company to oil doors once a day (not that it needed it)!

"Ah, Roxas. There you are. I was already asleep when you came in last night. How was your party?" Dad asked, not really paying attention.

"Um... it was fun. Aren't you... you know, mad that I ran out on you yesterday?" I asked hesitantly.

"Why should I be mad? You had every right to be irritated. But, seeing as you're here now, I take if you've decided it's alright to start earlier than planned." A statement, not a question. I had to smirk at how well Dad knew me.

"Now then. I suppose you're wondering what you have to do this summer-"

_"Mr. Strife?" _Kairi interrupted my dad, her voice urgent.

Sighing, Dad pressed the button to speak to his secretary. "Yes, Ms. Takedo?"

_"Ax- I mean, Mr. Lea is here an-"_

Before Kairi could finish her sentence the door banged open and guess who just happened to walk in.

The crazy red-head from the elevator.

My jaw dropped.

"Cloud!" The guy exclaimed. My father rolled his eyes and muttered "Mr. Strife," under his breath, but was ignored. "Sorry I'm late. There was a little problem down on floor twelve." He strode past me, and looked down, a smirk on his face. "I see you're here, Roxie. It's going to be fun workin' with ya."

_Wait, what?_

I backed away, and glared at my dad. "Working with him? What is he talking about?" My voice was sharp. Dad sighed, placing his pencil on the desk.

"Roxas, this is Axel Lea. He will be working alongside you to run this business once I have retired." The man, Axel, winked down at me, his smirk still present. "Also, he is the one who is going to be teaching you everything you need to know."

Silence fell among the three of us as I stood there, watching my dad, in complete shock. I couldn't believe what he was telling me; rather, I refused to believe what he was saying. There was no way this guy, whom I assumed was a selfish lazy ass, was going to help run the company. How did he get a job here anyway? I assumed that he used the power of his parent's, though I don't know who they are, or if they're even rich, to get the job he had. I knew for a fact that hundreds of qualified people apply for work here every year, and I highly doubted that my father would hire... Axle (?)... in his right mind.

However, I was completely wrong about that.

"Well, Roxie, let me introduce myself, _myself_, so your question from the elevator can finally be answered. My name, as Mr. Boss-man over here said, is Axel Lea. A-X-E-L L-E-A. Got it memorized? I have my masters in business and I've been with this company for three years. Nice to meetcha," he said, holding out his hand for me to shake. I ignored it dutifully and glared at my dad.

"May I speak to you?" I asked, then after a second thought, turned to the red-head and added, "_Alone._" Alex (I think) grinned at me, but left the room before Dad could say anything. Once the door was closed, and I heard the latch lock, I spun around. "Are you _insane_?" I nearly screamed. "That guy is messed up! How am I supposed to work with him?"

Dad sighed and replied, "Roxas, he knows what he's doing. _I_ know what I'm doing. You'll be fine working with him."

"Uh, no I won't. That guy-"

"Axel."

"-Axel, reminds me of Hayner. You know how bad Hayner is when it comes to working. If it hadn't been for that scholarship of his, he wouldn't be going to college and you know that. How the hell did _that_ guy get a job here?"

"I wasn't aware that you were the kind to judge people before you get to know them."

"Dad, the first time I met him was outside the elevator. He was listening to screamo music and completely ignored everyone around him, not to mention the fact that he doesn't seem to understand what 'dressing nice' means." I was furious. I was beyond furious. Pissed actually. I didn't want to be here in the first place, but now I had to work with some weird guy who has upside-down teardrop tattoos under his eyes. How messed up was that.

"Roxas, do you want to inherit this company?" This was always my dad's threat when I was acting like this, and when I was younger, it worked. Now however...

"No. I don't. I want to go to college. I want to hang out with my friends. You can pass this company onto Alex or what ever his name is. I don't care anymore."

With that, I turned to stalk out of the room. Dad didn't protest, but I could tell he was a little bit upset. When I opened the door, Alex (Axe? Axle?) jumped off of Kairi's desk and tried to say something, but I stalked past him, heading to the stairs. Behind me, I could hear Kairi call out to me, and I probably should have listened, because she was warning me about the hyper boy who came bouncing out of the stairwell.

There was a second when I thought we were going to crash into each other, but the boy...err... guy, stopped suddenly, looking at me curiously with crystal blue eyes.

"Who is this?" He asked, turning to Kairi and Axe (Ave... Ale... screw it, I'm just calling him Red).

"That's Roxie. He's Cloud's son," Red replied with amusement. "It seems he doesn't want to work with me."

"Well, I don't exactly blame him. I mean, it's you, Axel."

Obviously they knew each other.

"What's that supposed to mean, Sora?" Red sneered, walking over to me and placing a hand on my shoulder. I cringed at the touch, but was still too surprised to do much about it. "This little boy is just a spoiled brat. I'll knock some sense into him."

_This day just keeps getting worse and worse,_ were my thoughts as I finally reacted to Red's hand on my shoulder. It was true, of course. I woke up early, really early, and was forced to come to this stupid office where I run into the most ridiculous guy I've ever met in an elevator, then I find out that not only does he work for my dad, I'm going to be working with him soon, then I realize that he has some of the strangest friends, and they all seem to work here.

There's something wrong with this place.

"Look, person," I started, not able to remember the red-head's name, "It has nothing to do with you, and more to do with the fact I don't want to be here. So don't take it personally." Of course, I was lying, but he didn't know that. Or did he... it was hard to tell by the expression on his face.

"So, this guy is Cloud's son? I thought he was going to take over this company. Why is he so short," the guy named Sora asked. I flinched. I was not short. 5'6 is not short. It's medium height.

As I was fuming, I failed to notice that Sora had moved in front of me, and was now observing my every move. "Seriously, how old are you?" He asked me.

Still pissed about being called short, I snapped, "I don't know. Mentally or physically? Because chances are I'm older than you in the first one." Not a very good diss, I know. Hayner would have been so disappointed in me if he heard that pathetic attempt, but Red (I'm really liking this nickname of his) and Kairi still laughed.

Sora seemed to ponder this for a while, but finally, he said, "I meant physically. I have no doubt you're more mature than I am, but I'm being serious here." He glared at the other two in the room as he said this, but his voice still sounded somewhat cheery.

I didn't really want Sora knowing my age, but if I didn't tell him, who knew who would.

"I'm eighteen. Happy?" I muttered, crossing my arms. A whistle sounded behind me, but I didn't need to turn around to know it was the red-head.

"I didn't think you were _that_ young. I mean, I know you just graduated, but seriously. I thought nineteen, maybe twenty."

_Well, at least he thought I was older, rather than younger._

Sora looked as though he were about to say something, but the door to Dad's office opened before he could, and out came, guess who? My dad. Obviously.

"Mr. Sky, why are you up here? I just got a call from your supervisor saying you disappeared."

_His name is Sora Sky. Wow. It must be so weird to have your first and last name mean the same thing. _I thought, smirking at how ridiculous this guy was. I wondered how old he was, but I never did find out.

"Sorry Clo- Mr. Strife. I was just coming up to see what the commotion was all about. Riku told me that something interesting was happening up here." Sora let out a nervous laugh, but he had said Riku. That name again. It seemed to me that there was a small clique in my dad's company, and it included the red-head, Kairi, and Sky dude.

_This is reminding me of high school again._

"Mr. Sky, I don't really care what Mr. Finnigan told you, you know that you aren't allowed on this floor during work hours, and last time I checked, it was only ten o'clock, which means you need to get out of here." Dad's tone surprised me. I never knew him to be so... strict. Normally he just let me do whatever I wanted and left the scolding to Mom, so it was strange to see him act like this. To everyone else in the room, however, this was normal.

"Yes Mr. Boss-man, sir!" Sora exclaimed, saluting Dad. He took off down the stairs before Dad could say anything about the obvious sarcasm dripping in the guy's voice. Dad sighed.

"Roxas, have you calmed down a bit? I really need you to help me out here. I would give this company to Mr. Lea, but he is, as you say, too irresponsible sometimes."

"I _am_ in the room." Red (It's so easy to remember) muttered.

"I'm aware."

I didn't know what to say. Sure, my feelings about working here were changing pretty much every two seconds, but I still didn't know if I should comply to my parents' wishes, or not. I didn't have long to think about it, however, because a certain tattooed freak answered for me.

"Yeah. He's cool with working with me. Aren't you, Roxie?"

All I could do was blink. Did this guy actually_ want_ to work with me?

Dad looked between us, and once again, sighed. "Alright. Today, Roxas, you may leave. I just wanted to introduce you to Mr. Lea. Tomorrow, however, you will start to learn what you need to about this business. Understand." I nodded, not really paying attention.

I could swear that this guy I was going to be working with was bi-polar. First he seems nice, then mean, then assish, then mean, then nice again. It was like a diamond of emotions that made no sense. Still thinking about this, I waved goodbye to my dad, and headed down the stairs, afraid I would meet another weird person in the elevator.

* * *

"-and then he told my dad that I would be perfectly okay working with him, when it's obvious I'm not." I said, finishing the explanation of my morning to Olette, Pence, and Hayner. We were at my house, sitting at the poolside with lemonade, a bag of doritos, and nothing to do but talk.

"That guy is messed up. What did you say his name was again?" Hayner asked, munching on a few chips.

"I don't know, Axe, or something like that. All I know, is that he has some weird issues and I don't know how I'm going to work with him." I snatched the bag from him and rolled it up.

"Roxas, I think you may be over reacting to this," Olette mused as she lifted her feet out of the water and watched the liquid drain off of them. "I mean, Mr. Strife isn't stupid. He obviously hired this guy for a reason, and he probably thinks it will be good for you to have a role model that you'll be working with for the rest of your life."

I thought about this for a while as I tried to keep the bag of chips away from Hayner. (Don't ask why I was doing that, I don't have an answer for you). But maybe Olette was right. Dad did know what he was doing, I mean, he was one of the richest men in the world right now, so he was obviously doing something right.

Finally, I threw the bag of chips at Pence so Hayner would stop annoying me and turned to Olette. "I guess... but still. That guy is creepy. Really, really creepy. I don't think this is going to go well for me." Olette rolled her eyes.

"Stop exaggerating. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I mean, sure, you might end up miserable, but you still have us, right?"

I laughed. "Yeah, until you all move away for college, or some other reason. Who'll I lean on after that?"

"Hmm... Well, I suppose you'll make new friends at your work. Sora and Kairi don't sound _that_ bad. And you said a guy named Riku was mentioned? Maybe he'll be normal enough for you to get along with." She was right, I suppose. Sora, as weird as he seemed, wouldn't actually be that hard to get along with, same with the secretary, despite the fact that Kairi was in her early twenties, and I assumed Sora was as well.

I didn't get to think about this long, however, as Hayner decided now was the perfect time to ditch the chips and do a cannon ball into the pool, splashing the rest of us with cool, chlorine filled water.

Squeals of protest escaped from Olette, and she slipped into the water to try and get revenge on her crush, soon to be followed by Pence. I, on the other hand, did nothing but wipe the water out of my eyes and once again think about how sad things were going to be once Pence and Olette had left for their summer adventures. There were only two days left until the both of them left.

_I feel like such a girl._ I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Hayner and I had always been adverse to "feminine" feelings such as lamentation, sulking, or reminiscing, so the fact that I was doing all of these things, entertained me greatly.


	3. You know it's going to be a bad day when

Double whammy this week! I felt that since chapter 3 is such a short chapter, I might as well post it. Plus, it has a fun cliff hanger XD However, starting next week, it's one chapter a week. No excuses, and there's nothing you can do to change my mind.

Now then, I have worked my butt off to write this thing, and I want to know what you think. So review. Flame if you wish. Just review. Thank you :)

Oh, the full name of the chapter is; You know it's going to be a bad day when you fall out of bed.

It won't let me type in the whole thing.

~Sunechirei

* * *

I hate falling out of bed. I always have, and always will. It just seems like everything goes wrong on the days you fall out of your nice, warm, comfy sleeping device and end up on the cold, hard, desolate floor. See, this is how it usually goes. You're in said bed, nice and comfortable, dreaming about butterflies and bunny rabbits (well, _I_ don't) when you are rudely awaken by said floor, not only making you angry that your nice dream is gone, but now you're cold, in pain, and irritated.

Then, you get up, mumbling to your self about how things never go your way, and that you were about to go to Candy Mountain and eat chocolate (I have _never_ gone to Candy Mountain in my dreams) and suddenly you realize that you have to do stuff today. That just makes everything worse.

Not only that, but when you try to get dressed, you're so distracted by your irritation that you put your clothes on wrong, like putting your sock on your hand (not that I've _ever_ done that) or you think your shirt is your pants. This frustrates you to the point of near tears, and when you're finally done, you have to make sure that you aren't actually crying for fear of being made fun of by your best friend (… okay, _maybe_ I've done that). Then, when you try to go downstairs because you're stomach is rumbling, you trip on the stairs, falling two flights. Now that you're in even more pain, and your clothes are all messed up, you make your way into the kitchen with a limp, where you spy your mother sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

You say hello, she doesn't hear you, finally, something normal in your day. However, that doesn't last long as when you open the fridge to grab something to eat, you realize there's no food. Then you remember that the fridge died last night, so all of the food has gone bad, meaning you either have to have toast, or nothing. You decide that toast is the best option, however, you don't realize that the bread you want to eat is moldy and you almost puke when you take a bite of the disgusting green parasite type thing (Okay, I admit, I did do that).

In the end, you decide that you would rather not be sick today as you have to deal with crazy people, so you leave the house, your stomach empty and go to start your car. It's dead. The lights had been left on all night so the battery had died and you have to jump start her. Unfortunately, it takes you an hour to find the cables and get them hooked up to your car, so you're late to work on your first real day.

You decide that you need to get to work as quickly as possible, so you speed down the freeway, making sure not to crash into anyone. Sadly, someone thought you were drunk so they called the cops and told them there was a reckless driver. You, not really paying attention, hear the police sirens, and think they're for someone else, until you realize that you're going 90 in a 75 zone, so you pull over and face an absolutely furious cop.

They demand to see your license and registration. No problem right? Wrong.

Being the smart person you are, you left your house without your wallet, which has your license in it. The cop, being an irritable person, get's really, really angry and asks you to step out of the car. You oblige, but only because you really don't want to deal with charges of resisting an officer. That would be bad.

Then, as you get out of the car, your phone falls out of your pocket, crashes against the pavement, and breaks into four pieces. Four, depressing little pieces. You try to pick up the pieces, but the officer thinks you're going to attack her, so she grabs your arm, twists it behind your back, shoves you up against the car and tells you you're under arrest. As you're trying to explain that you weren't going to hurt her, she starts to recite your rights, and you decide to shut your mouth.

From there, you're dragged to her car, then to the police station, where you're placed in a cell with some old homeless guy who you find out was arrested for molesting a high school girl. Creepy, but not that bad, until the guy says you look like a high school girl (some people are just weird), so you scoot as far away as possible.

You watch the clock, with one eye still on the molester, as the minutes pass, then the hours, and finally, after almost five hours, you are allowed out of the cell to make your one phone call. It takes every ounce of self-control to _not_ jump out of the cell and kiss the feet of the guards as you escape from the creepy guy and head to the phone. As you stand there, you wonder who you should call.

Your best friend? Nah. They wouldn't bail you out if they were being held at gun point.

Your mom? She would kill you.

Your dad? He would tell your mom, who would kill you.

Your other friends? They're too busy dealing with their own lives.

So you're stuck calling the only other person you know.

Your future business partner.

So here I am, in the county jail, at the phone, dialing Red's number so I can ask him to bail me out of jail.

God I hate my life.


	4. When you see a light

Tada! Chapter 4 is up and running! Now you get to find out what happens to Roxas after he was put in jail XD. Also, you get to meet Ellie (an original character of mine who is in the story, One Day, One Room) and I hope you like her :) Please tell me if you don't though. I like to know what people think of my OC's.

So yeah, I'm going to be posting this today, but I need to know if you guys want me to post the chapters on Saturday or Sunday from now on. Either works for me, but I do need to know.

Also, please review. It's really not that hard. I know it sounds like I'm desperate, but that's because I kind of am. The only help I get on this story is from my friends who are too nice for their own good, and I need to know what the masses think.

Anyway, I think that's all for now. Please enjoy, and review!

Ah! I almost forgot! What do you think of me calling Axel, Red?

~Sunechirei

Full chapter title: When you see a light at the end of a tunnel, only sometimes is it an oncoming train.

* * *

"_Hey, what's up? This is Axel Lea speaking."_ The deep voice was as annoying over the phone as it was in real life. I sighed to myself.

"Hello. It's Roxas..." I didn't really know what to say. What could I say? 'Hey, it's your boss' son. I kinda got arrested and I'm too much of a chicken to ask my dad to come bail me out. What? My friends? They're either too busy or jerks.'

Yeah, that would go over well.

_"Roxie! Hello! Why the hell are you calling me!" _

Well isn't he lovely...

"Look, I kinda need a favor," I started to say, but of course, I was interrupted.

_"You need a favor? _You_ need a favor? I feel honored, little Roxie. What's up?"_

"Well, I don't really know how to say this-"

_"I can't help you if you don't tell me what you want to say, so just spit it out."_

I gritted my teeth. There was no way that I was going to be able to say this without completely embarrassing myself. And what would happen to me if Red refused to help me? I couldn't spend the rest of my life in a jail cell with some molesting creep, especially since he thought I looked like a high school girl. I was beginning to wish I had just taken the chance with calling my dad. There's no way _that_ could be as awkward as begging a guy you barely know to help you.

_"Hello? Roxie? You still there?"_

I jumped at the sound of his voice. "Stop calling me that," were the first words out of my mouth, then, "I kinda got arrested-"

_ "Seriously? You need me to bail you out of jail? What ever happened to calling your parents?" _There was obvious amusement in Red's voice, making me cringe.

"Because my mom would freak and probably try to kill me, and my dad would just tell my mom. Both lead to the same result."

_"So, the little newbie is afraid of his parents. Figures."_

"Look, will you help me out or not?" I was quickly getting irritated with the fact that Red was messing with me, and I wanted a definitive answer, immediately. However, before anything else was said, I heard a click, and the dial tone.

_He hung up on me…. _I couldn't help but think this as I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring at it with disgust. The guard saw that my conversation had ended and lead me back to the jail cell to wait for someone to come get me. I tried to reason with him_, _tell him that the guy I was sharing a cell with was going to try and do something to me, but he just rolled his eyes and pushed me into the cell.

People obviously could care less about you once you do something stupid. Nice system we have.

Luckily for me, the guy decided that he was going to leave me alone, so I was safe. For now.

* * *

Dad was going to kill me. It was my second day of work, and I was already six hours late, but that wouldn't be so bad, but I got arrested for not having my wallet where my license is. It was such a stupid mistake. And to make matters worse, there was no way that Red would be nice enough to bail me out, especially since I hadn't been very nice to him. I guessed that I should start being somewhat civil, after all, I was going to be working with him. I just hoped I lived long enough to actually start working with him.

"Roxas Strife?" The guard called out to me, and I stood up immediately, wondering what was going on. "Your bail has been made. You can leave," the guy grumbled as he unlocked the door, and made way for me to leave. However, I just stood there, shocked.

_I could leave? I wasn't going to rot in this cell for the rest of my life? Who had helped me? _

"Oi. Kid. Get out of here before the molester escapes. I thought you were afraid of him," the guard said, seeming slightly amused. I jumped at the sound of his voice, realizing that this wasn't a dream, and that I was actually free to leave and go face the wrath of my parents. Not that it was much better, but at least now I couldn't be molested... as easily. Dashing out of the cell, I made sure to thank the guard, who just grunted, and walk as quickly as I could to the front of the building, curious to see who had rescued me.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw Red sitting on one of the wooden benches, humming a light tune to himself. I thought for sure the red-head was going to ignore my plea for help and just laugh at me from behind his desk.

When I got closer, the man looked up at me, his face serious. It didn't stay that way for long, though. His expression became completely contorted when he saw me, causing me to remember that I had fallen down two flights of stairs, had to jump start my car, got shoved against said car not an hour later, then was thrown into a disgusting jail cell for the past six hours. I must have looked horrendous.

"Hey Roxie. You certainly look fashionable," Red snorted when I was close enough to hear him.

Silently, I cursed the man, and I walked past him, acting as though I didn't want to hug him at that moment for saving my life. That would have just freaked him out, and he would have thought I was gay. Which I wasn't. Giving this guy the wrong impression after only meeting him twice would be really, really bad.

"Oh yeah, ignore me. Pretend like I didn't just save you from some creeper who thinks you look like a high school girl," Red muttered, and I froze.

_How the hell...?_

An awkward silence fell between the two of us, until Red said, "I'm right aren't I." My head bobbed up and down, and I wished I could go hide in a hole. Right now, Red thinking I was gay was nowhere near as embarrassing as this conversation.

"How did you know?" I asked hesitantly, afraid to find out the answer. I turned and was surprised to see that Red had turned a light shade of pink.

"Well, you do kinda look like a high school girl, especially your eyes. They're really girly," he mumbled, looking away.

_What the hell is what that reaction!_

I was thinking this, of course, but it was kind of in the back of my mind. The thought that was taking up the entirety of my mind was;

_I look like a girl?_

Never, in my entire life, have I been told I look like a girl until today. Why was that? Why had no one, not even my best friend, told me that I had very... feminine features? Maybe Hayner was always hinting at it when we talked about emotional stuff and he kept telling me I remind him of a girl in love. This might be the reason I've never had a girlfriend for more than a few weeks.

Then again, they always told me that it was because I never paid attention to them, and that I was more concerned about my own life than theirs, so maybe that's the reason, and Red and the creepy man from the cell didn't know what they were talking about. I continued to think about this for a little while, not noticing that I was completely spacing out, and Red was waving his hand in front of my face, trying to bring me back to earth.

"Hello? Earth to Roxie? You alive in there?"

I jumped back, realizing that we were no longer in the building, but out in the parking lot.

"How did we get out here?" I asked stupidly, only to be answered with a snort. I mentally slapped myself before adding, "What did you tell my dad before you left?"

Red shrugged as he unlocked his car. Climbing in, I barely noticed the appearance of it, though I could tell it was the same color as Red's (oh, how coincidental) hair, and the interior was made of leather. It was nice, I had to say.

"So, how exactly did you get arrested? The guard wouldn't tell me," Red asked. "and what's with the appearance?"

I shuddered, not really wanting to think about my horrible morning. "I had a bad morning and was late to work, so I was speeding, got pulled over, and then the cop thought I was going to attack her."

Laughter emitted from the man sitting next to me, and I turned to glare at him. "You? Attack someone? That's hilarious. You don't look dangerous at all," he said, trying hard to keep his eyes on the road. The urge to punch the bastard was growing with every word he spoke, but I really didn't want to get into an accident, so I kept my fist balled up in my lap.

"Look, I have _not_ had a good day, and I'm not in the mood to deal with being teased. So shut up," I muttered, slouching in my seat.

"Aw, that hurts, Roxie. Don't you like being teased?"

Pushing against my seat, I turned to face him again, disbelief written all over my face. "No. I don't. I don't know anyone who does."

Red glanced over at me, and smirked. "Well, for me it depends on who it is."

"Wait, what?"

This guy kept getting weirder by the second. First he interrogates me in an elevator, then he decides I'm okay with working with him, even though I'm not, _then_ he bails me out of jail...

"Why did you bail me out?" I asked suddenly. When I thought about it, the fact that he would help me was probably the strangest thing ever. It was kind of sweet- _Wait! Where did that come from?_

I mentally slapped myself, _again_, as Red answered, "I don't know. You sounded really pathetic. Also, if Mr. Boss-man ever finds out about this, I get points for helping you."

I ignored the fact that Red just wanted to get on the good side of my dad, I was expecting that, but thanks to him mentioning my father, I couldn't help but wonder what I was going to tell him. After all, there's no doubt that Dad would have been wondering where the hell I had been, and I had a strange feeling that Red hadn't made up a very good excuse when he left the office. A shudder ran thought me at the thought.

An eerie silence fell amongst the two of us for the rest of the ride. It was slightly uncomfortable sitting in the car, well, actually it was extremely uncomfortable. I felt as though Red were mad at me for some reason, even though I haven't given him any reason too be. I think.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Red pulled into the parking lot of the company, and my nerves suddenly spiked. I wished I were back in that cell with the creepy molester rather than here, where Dad would find out where I was, then he would tell Mom, and I would be dead. Worse than dead. If that was even possible.

"Hello? Earth to Roxie, again. Why are you just sitting there?"

_Crap! I can't believe I spaced out again. Why do I keep doing that?_ "Sorry, I was just thinking about something..." I trailed off, not really wishing to talk about my doom. It seemed that Red could understand what I was thinking as he didn't inquire any further.

We walked, silently, into the building. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see a young girl sitting behind the desk that had been empty yesterday. She looked to be about my age, maybe a little bit older, with light blond hair that was hanging silkily in the girls face, covering her eyes.

She looked up when she heard the door open, revealing light blue eyes, and a very pretty smile.

I felt myself turn red when I saw her, and I turned away to hide it. Red noticed my reaction and snickered.

"Hey, Naminé!" He called out, smirking at me, "What's up?"

_There is something wrong with my brain today... _I couldn't help but think as I headed over to the elevator._ It must be because of the mold I ate earlier._

"Well, Mr. Strife isn't very happy right now. He's mad you and his son haven't-"

"Thanks for the update!" Red interrupted her cheerily. I didn't turn back to see her reaction to being so rudely interrupted, and I didn't have much time to think about it as a few seconds later the elevator came and I was being pushed by the crazy red-head into the device. "Well, well, little Roxie likes little Naminé. Who would have guessed."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I muttered. It was true. I didn't like the girl, I just thought she was kinda cute. You know how that is. The first time you see someone who's pretty, you can't help but blush. God it's annoying. Especially when other people take it the wrong way.

_She was really cute though_.

I smiled at the thought. It had been a while since I had thought a girl was cute, and Hayner was beginning to think I was gay,_ which I'm not,_ so I couldn't wait to tell him that I liked someone. That would show him...

Silence. Again. It was getting really aggravating how I had no idea what to say to Red. Of course, I had no idea what to say to most people, but talking to the eccentric red-head was... somewhat difficult. Of course, he didn't make it any better with his awkward comments and weird nonsense.

When the door opened on the twelfth floor, Red grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the elevator with no trouble. I stumbled, trying to get my footing, as I was pulled across the room, getting interesting stares from some of the people at desks. I had never been on the twelfth floor before, though I had heard my dad complaining about some woman named Ellie, and Red, Sora and Kairi mentioned Riku who apparently worked down here, so I was kind of shocked to see it was... normal... I guess. Except for the fact that I was being dragged down the hall by a crazy tall person who was smirking. Yeah, completely normal.

"What are you doing!" I hissed, struggling to get out of Red's grasp. "I need to go see my dad!"

"No, first you need to get your 'alibi.'" Red said. "So, we need to go see Ellie."

Ellie. That name again. I had a feeling that she was going to be a pretty large part of my life now. Dad seemed to hate her, Red seemed to worship her, and Kairi seemed to be good friends with her. Dear God, why do I always meet the weirdest people.

"Who is Ellie?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer. "I've heard a few things about-"

"Axel goddammit! Why the hell haven't you given me your report yet and why is Naminé telling me Cloud is pissed neither you nor his son have been in the office yet today? Please tell me you haven't done anything to him."

I had a feeling that was Ellie. A woman, maybe in her early twenties came storming out of an office, her light brown hair falling lightly in her golden eyes, which were filled with rage. I couldn't help but try to run away in fear when I saw her storming towards us, but Red still wouldn't let me go, and he wasn't budging.

When she was close enough that Red didn't have to yell for her to hear him, he said, "Oh Ellie, why do you have to be that way? You don't need the report until tomorrow. And why would I do anything to Roxie? He's the one who gets himself arrested."

"Arrested?" That was when Ellie noticed me, "Oh, well don't you look adorable." I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not because after giving me a once over, she turned back to Red and started yelling at him again.

"Ellie, Ellie, Ellie, let's not go into this right now. Roxie here needs your help, and are you going to resits this pathetic soul who even you, called adorable?"

The woman sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Fine. You, in my office. Now." She said, pointing at me, then at her office. Red let go of my hand, but I couldn't move. This girl was... odd, and Red hadn't been in the office today, so I had no idea what was going to happen to me. When I hadn't moved for more than a minute, Ellie let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed my wrist, and I once again was dragged down the hall, into a small office that was so neat, it was blinding.

"What are you-" I tried to ask, but was silenced by Red hushing me.

"Don't try and talk to her while she's focused," Red whispered to me as Ellie walked over to her desk and began to rummage in one of the drawers, "You might be killed."

This was getting weirder by the second. I had no idea what was going on, and I had a feeling that Red wasn't exaggerating when he said she would kill me. Judging by how she acted around Red...

Of course, she could be the sweetest person you'd ever meet, but when stressed because a certain red-head wasn't doing his job as well as he should be, turns into a complete bitch. I hoped that was what she was really like because otherwise, my life would be turning into a living hell soon. Well, it already was something close to a living hell, so I guess it wouldn't make too much of a difference. But still...

"So," Ellie stated calmly, typing away at her computer, "the last place you were seen by a relative was when you left the house this morning by your mother who said you looked like you had been hit by a tornado, so that takes care of your appearance." Ellie muttered, focusing intently on her computer screen. "Why do you look that way?"

I debated whether or not to tell her the truth about my condition, and in the end, decided she would probably find out anyway.

"I fell down two flights of stairs..." I muttered, looking away. She snickered, as did Red, but said nothing, only typing quickly.

"Well, you're clumsy, that helps me a lot." More typing, more awkward silence. This place was starting to freak me out. Come to think of it, I didn't even know what Ellie did in this company, much less what she was doing for me right now. I really hoped it was something good. Red mentioned an alibi. I couldn't help but think that maybe she was going to get me out of this whole mess.

I was right.

"Okay then, Roxas, Axel, you two are clear. Axel, you had called Roxas this morning telling him to meet you at the park near near the Alley Way, so you could start teaching him about the business he's gotten himself into. As you were walking in the park, talking, Roxas dropped his phone, and it broke-"

"Wait? How did you know my phone broke?" I asked. It was slightly eerie how both she and Red had guessed something when I had made no mention of it earlier, and I was hoping Ellie wasn't some kind of psychic. That would just be weird.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "You look like shit, dumb ass." Obviously she had language issues, "It doesn't take an Einstein to guess you broke your phone when you fell down the stairs, or during your arrest." She turned back to her computer screen. "Anyway, Axel and you have been walking around downtown all day, and even went to go get lunch. Axel, I assume that while you were ditching work you got food and have a receipt?" Red grinned and nodded.

_So, he was ditching work. I wonder if he does that often._

"Yes, yes I do."

"Wh-what?" I asked, looking from Red to Ellie. The woman made no inclination that she had heard what Red had said, and my thoughts were beginning to go the psychic route again.

"You're so easy to read sometimes. I do ditch work a lot. I don't like pressure. Got it memorized?" I nodded, not sure what to say.

"Anyway, you two should probably head upstairs now. I hear Kairi is going insane because Mrs. Strife appeared, frantic, wanting to know where her son had disappeared off to."

I could imagine that. Mom got on everyone's nerves, including mine and my dad's. Sometimes, I wondered why Dad even married her, but then I think that if he hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now so those thoughts go away pretty quickly.

"Alrighty then. Thanks Ellie. I really appreciate this," I was once again grabbed by the wrist and dragged off, but before Red could get me out of the room, I asked Ellie;

"What is your job here?"

Red stopped moving, realizing that if I didn't get my answer, I would probably get pretty angry, and waited patiently while Ellie typed something. Finally, she said, "I guess you should know seeing as you're going to be the one taking over this place. I'm your dad's lawyer. Everything that has to do with legal shit comes through me, whether I like it or not."

_That would be why she came up with an "alibi" for me. I only hope she acts nicer in court..._ I had to keep myself from laughing at the thought of Ellie cussing out a judge, before I was dragged away from the room.

"Anyway, now that that's taken care of," Red said when we were in the elevator again, "I hope you're going to pay me back for bailing you out of jail." Ah yes, the money.

I turned to him, not particularly wishing to deal with his idiocy. "Why should I do that? Haven't you already benefited enough from my misery? I mean, you basically got a 'get out of work free' pass and you had amusement from my pain. Why should I pay you back for that."

"Because I can easily tell your father what really happened."

"Then he'll know you ditched work." A smirk spread across my face when I saw the realization of my victory dawn on Red. "I know my father pretty well, and I have a feeling that if he found out you ditched work, you wouldn't last too much longer here."

Hayner would have been so proud of me right now. I was never one to give out good threats, but this time, I had Red in a corner. Either he get his money back, or he gets fired. I had a strange feeling he would rather lose a few bucks then his career.

"You certainly know how to manipulate a situation to get what you want," the man hissed as the door opened. He stepped out without another word, and I followed smugly, until I was tackled by my worried mother who had tears streaming down her face and was yelling at me for being such a bad son.

I was expecting this, though. Mom was always the kind to overreact to certain situations, this being one of them.

* * *

It took two hours to calm my mother down, then recite to Dad what Ellie had told me and Red, then convince him it was true. By the time we were done, it was time to go home for the day. I actually wanted to stay in the office. The thought of going back to my bed, the place where all of this madness had started, wasn't exactly appealing to me right now, but Dad said I couldn't stay here in the state I was in. Not good for business or something like that.

He and Mom left before me, however, and as soon as the door to the elevator closed, Kairi started to bombard me with questions.

"So, what really happened today? I know for a fact that Axel ditched, so there's no way you two were out for a lovely stroll around the park. Did you actually just drop your phone? Were you kidnapped by crazy people and just happened to be saved by Axel? Or maybe you didn't want to deal with Cloud today so you pulled an Axel? What was it? What was it?"

The excitement in the woman's eyes reminded me too much of Olette's puppy eyes, so I had to answer.

"I got arrested, this guy bailed me out."

"Ooh, that's a tough one to get out of. I take it Ellie is the one who got you out of this mess?" I nodded. "Well, you're lucky Axel wasn't in the office today or you would be doomed. I know how Mrs. Strife hates it when you do something bad. Like, remember that one time I was at your house and-"

"Whoa, Kairi, over kill. Let's calm down a bit." Red said, saving me from embarrassing stories. "You should wait until Ellie, Naminé, Riku and Sora are here too." Not.

"I hate you." I muttered before turning towards the stairs. "I hate you all."

Even though I said this, I couldn't help but think;

Just because you see a light at the end of a tunnel, it doesn't mean it's going to be an oncoming train.

* * *

Mwahahahahahahahaha!

I have no idea why I was just laughing evily... Oh well. Thanks for reading, please review, and see ya next week!

~Sunechirei


	5. EMO

Guess what? You get to meet Riku finally XD I love this chapter. It's one of my favorite in this story so far :)

Anyway, thanks to all of you who bothered to review for my last chapter, and I hope that more of you will be nice and review XD (Once again, I'm not joking. Please review.)

So yeah... the full title of this chapter is; EMO= Extravagantly Made Oragami...

Thanks for reading :)

~Sunechirei

* * *

"I can't believe you're leaving," Hayner muttered, looking down at his feet. "It's going to be so weird without you here."

We were at the airport, all four of us, saying goodbye to Pence and Olette as they were about to take off for their amazing summers. It had been a week since school had been let out, and some of the most crazy things had happened to me since then, most of which I don't even want to mention, so the fact that I was doing something somewhat normal was kind of a relief. Well, it would be if I weren't saying goodbye to two of my best friends.

Life really doesn't like me.

"Oh Hayner. It's not that bad. I mean, you're going to see us during winter break and what not," Olette said.

_Ugh... the love tension between those two is so awkward!_

I exchanged a glance with Pence and could tell he was thinking the same thing. I just wanted those two to get together already, then we can all move on with our lives.

"Well, we have to get going, don't we, Olette," Pence suddenly said, startling the two infatuated teens who were obsessed with each other. "I know that leaving these two is bad, but it would be worse if we missed our flights and had to pay for another one."

A smile played at my lips. Pence was always the most sensible out of all of us, not having been struck by love (Olette and Hayner) or stuck in an impossible situations (me).

"You're right... I guess," Olette muttered. She placed her bag on the ground and quickly hugged me, then Hayner. "I'll try and come back before summer's over and my classes start, but I can't guarantee anything. I will be back for Christmas no matter what though, so be prepared to see me in December!" There were tears in her eyes as she backed off. Pence muttered something along the same lines as Olette, though he didn't cry.

And then they left. Hayner and I watched them walk side by side down the hall towards security, and I had a nagging feeling that the next time I saw them, things would be very different on both of our ends.

Once the two were out of sight, Hayner and I headed out of the airport, and to my car. I had been so happy to get my car back from the pound. When I saw her sitting in the parking lot after my hellish day a week ago, I realized that Ellie could perform something close to miracles. My parents would never know that I had gotten in trouble with the law, even though pretty much everyone else did.

But that was behind me, and now, I was sitting in my car, my best friend by my side, listening to awesome music as we sped through the morning traffic. What more could I ask for?

Not this.

Hayner suddenly reached across his seat and turned off the music, before saying, "Dude, I'm feeling all depressed. I'm going to hang out with you at work." I was about to say that it wouldn't be a good idea, but Hayner turned the music on again, drowning me out, so I gave up.

Red and Hayner are going to meet each other... This was going to be interesting. I couldn't help but think that they weren't going to get along at all, and that my life today was going to be total hell, again, but then again, if Hayner and Red didn't like each other, then I wouldn't have to deal with my best friend associating with my business partner. That would be nice.

I pulled into the parking lot, and was surprised to see that there weren't many cars there. Then again, it was noon, so everyone was probably out getting lunch or doing something that they wouldn't normally be allowed to do at work. I shuddered thinking of all the things that could be done. It wasn't pretty.

"So, do you have VIP parking or are you one of the low people on the totem pole?" Hayner asked me suddenly.

"Um... my dad is the CEO. What do you think?"

Sadly, this question seemed to be rather difficult for the dirty blond to answer, so I gave up and parked as far away from my original spot as possible. That would screw with him.

* * *

"Roxie! There you are! I thought your little friends had kidnapped you!"

This was Red's greeting when Hayner and I walked in the door to the building. He was sitting on Naminé's desk, talking to her, but when he saw us, or, me to be more accurate, he slid off, and headed over to us, grinning.

"You are not going to believe what's going on right now!" Red practically chirped grabbing me by the shoulder, and steering me towards the stairs. "You've heard of Riku, right? Well, he's been home sick this past week, and now he's back. But he's doped out on cough medicine! It's hilarious!" As interesting as an accountant high on cough medicine sounded, I was too distracted by the fact that Red was, yet again, dragging me around, and touching me so informally. Normally, I wouldn't care. I had kind of gotten over Red's weird boundary issues a while ago(once again, kinda), but this was _not_ something I wanted Hayner to see.

_I really wish I had just dropped him off at his house!_

"Look, um... Alex-"

"Axel," the man coughed, obviously irritated I hadn't gotten his name right, once.

"-I really don't have time for this. You see, my friend-"

"So this is the crazy red-head you were telling me about! Interesting." Irritation. Hayner's voice was filled to the brim with it. Not a good sign. Being ignored, watching your best friend be man handled by some guy, and being depressed were not a good list of irritants you wanted Hayner to have all at once. Especially not after nine in the morning.

It was so awkward in the room after Hayner said this. He and Red were having a stare down, causing yet another awkward situation between us. This was getting really annoying.

Suddenly, Red held out his hand, breaking the tension. "Well, It's nice to meet you…" he trailed off, waiting to hear what name he should be calling the sandy haired boy.

"Hayner," he said, taking Red's hand. "Hayner Mural."

_Oh. _

_ Dear. _

_ God._

_They're going to get along!_

I was not expecting this to happen. This was practically the worst thing that could ever happen. Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a bit, but still. This could not end well.

"Um, Axel?" Naminé's sweet voice called from her desk. I smiled at the sound, glad that there was some jewel in the hell hole of my job. Over the past week, I had started to talk to Naminé, and I was really starting to like her.

"Yes Naminé?" Red replied, interrupting my thoughts.

"Well, I was wondering if we could... you know, finish our conversation before you go running up to make fun of Riku. It's very important, you know." She smiled at, me, I think. It was hard to tell with her talking to Red, but I couldn't help but think she was looking at me when she flashed that beautiful smile, and it caused me to blush.

Damn hormones.

Hayner nudged me, nodding his head towards Naminé, asking silently if she was the girl I had told him about. I nodded, unable to hide the smile on my face, and Hayner punched me in the arm. Either he was making fun of me, or he was congratulating me. I couldn't tell. Either way, he was going to be interrogating me about this later. It would be a lot of fun. Not.

"Hello? Earth to Roxie. Again."

I looked up, rubbing my arm, "What?"

"Riku. High. On cough medicine. Let's go!"

"Wait, what about your conversation with Naminé-"

"Done, done and done. Let's go!"

Then I was being dragged around, again. It was really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, annoying. Did I mention just how annoying it was?

So we headed to the elevator, well, I was more pushed to it by Red, and Hayner was following. The ride up was odd for me. Red and Hayner seemed to be getting along then I ever had with either of them, and I was stuck in the middle of them, with Red's arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders. I was trying really hard to get him off of me, but it was no use. That guy is just too much stronger than I am.

Finally, we reached the twelfth floor, and Red let go of me, thank God, before striding out with confidence.

"Dude, that guy is awesome. I don't see what problems you have with him," Hayner said to me as we followed Red down the hall towards Ellie's office. I wasn't quite sure why we were going to see her, but I didn't think to much of it, as I replied to Hayner;

"He's just... weird. I don't know. He seems to be cool if we were going to be friends or something, but I'm going to have to work with him for the rest of my life." I let out a sigh before continuing, "I just don't know if he actually knows what he's doing."

Hayner didn't say anything to this, and I could feel a tense air rising between us, confusing me greatly. Did I just say something to offend him?

"You actually like working here, don't you?" Hayner asked after a moment. I turned to him, ready to protest, but hesitated. One week. I had been working here for one week, and I was beginning to realize that I actually did like this place. Sure, the people were weird when Dad wasn't around, and sure, I was being forced to be here so my family doesn't lose the Strife Hotel business to someone else, even though I would be sharing the rights to the company with Red, but I wasn't as unhappy as I thought I would be. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed this before. "Dude, Roxas, you have got to stop spacing out like that."

I jumped, not realizing that I hadn't been paying attention, and that we were at Ellie's office door already. Red was grinning madly, obviously excited to see this Riku guy acting all giddy. I couldn't understand why, however, as seeing someone high was not as fun as someone may think. Hayner certainly wasn't that funny when he was on something. It was then I realized Hayner was waiting for an answer to his non-rhetorical question that I had been ignoring.

"Yeah. I guess I do," I said, ignoring the strange look I was getting from the tall red-head.

"Thought so."

I couldn't understand why Hayner seemed so pissed off. I mean, it wasn't a crime to like your job, was it? So what if I was happy with the fate that had been forced upon me, at least I wouldn't become all depressed. Then again, it's possible that's what Hayner wanted, for me to be depressed, so he wasn't alone in that category.

Suddenly, I felt like a bad friend.

The feeling passed quickly.

Red was about to open the door, but it slammed open before he could even reach the handle, and Ellie came storming out, her fists clenched, eyebrows knitted, and a scowl etched onto her face. Now normally, Ellie was calm, though she had a nasty choice of language, and very full of herself. Right now, she was distracted and irritated, so much so, in fact, that she nearly crashed into Red on her way out of her office. However, she stopped, right before she hit him, and looked at the three of us standing in front of her doorway.

A demented grin spread across her face. "That man, is a legal risk. I need him to get the hell out of here." Her eyes were blazing now, looking like golden flames of irritation, and for some reason, I had a feeling she was talking about Riku. That would explain why Red had brought me and Hayner here, though how he knew Riku would be here was lost to me. I also hoped that Ellie wasn't always like this around Riku, because truthfully, she was scaring the shit out of me.

"Oh, Ellie. It can't be that bad. I mean, how-"

"I'm going to find Sora and tell him to get his fucking friend out of here before he causes someone to get hurt. I just finished the paperwork from when Marluxia and Larxene were here and I don't want another huge project waiting for me." Without waiting for Red to say anything, the woman brushed past me and stormed off, leaving a fearful trail behind her.

Hayner and I exchanged glances, then looked at Red. I was only somewhat surprised to see him smiling like a fool.

"This is going to be very, very interesting."

Pushing open the door, which had closed slightly when Ellie mad let go of it, we saw a very... interesting scene.

There was a man in there, whom I assumed was Riku, sitting in the window sill, staring out the window. His long, silver hair was a mess and cast a shadow over his eyes, and he seemed to be muttering to himself about something. He was wearing jeans and a baggy t-shirt, but other than that, I didn't see what kind of legal risk he was. He was just sitting there, not even bothering to look up when the door opened, which he obviously heard because it was squeaky (again with the non-oiled doors. Seriously, Dad?). Why would that bug Ellie?

Suddenly, the man looked up, his sea-blue eyes staring us down intensely, but filled with Sorrow.

"She hates me," he whispered, "I made her hate me."

Uh...

"Now I don't know what to do. I was hoping she wouldn't hate me so much, but she does. Why is that, Axel?"

Yeah, I was really confused. This was Riku? The guy who Sora was always raving about, the guy Kairi said was really hot-headed, though not as much as Sora. _This_ was Riku?

Next to me, Red took a step forward, obviously trying very hard not to laugh, and said, "I don't know. What did you do to her?"

"I came here. And then I... Huh, I don't remember."

It was then I remembered he had been sick for the past week and was on medicine. I couldn't help but marvel at how stupid I could be sometimes. Red and Riku continued to talk, when Hayner poked me in the shoulder.

"Dude, this guy is really emo..." He said, his eyes wide with amazement. "I think he even beats my mom when she gets into a slump." I snorted at the comparison, but unfortunately, this attracted the attention of Riku, who seemed to think I was laughing at his misery. I guess you could say he was kind of right.

"You're not very nice, you know that?" Riku stood up, his expression suddenly one of anger, rather than sadness. "I'm in love with that woman but she hates me, and it's all your fault. All because you laughed at me."

_So, Riku has a thing for Ellie who I think has a thing for me... this should get interesting. _

"I think Ellie was mad at you before I showed up," I said nervously, taken back by how tall Riku actually was. Sitting down, he seemed to be normal, maybe five seven or five eight, but now I could see that he was almost as tall as Red, who towered over me. Suddenly, things seemed a lot scarier. Luckily, a cheery voice sounded from behind me, and I recognized it as Sora.

"Riku! Come on. I'm going to take you back to your house. Ellie's afraid you're going to hurt someone." Riku's face fell at the sound of Ellie's name coming from Sora. He sat down again, his sorrow suddenly returning, causing Red to snicker. I hoped that Riku would freak out on Red, like he had on me, but no. I was just so special that I got attacked for no reason.

_This guy is so weird._ I thought to myself, then remembered, _Cold medicine..._

Sora pushed past me, not at all stunned by his friends actions. I had a feeling he was used to this. "Come on you lazy bum. Ellie will stop being mad at you if you come with me. Okay?" Riku cheered up a bit at Sora's words, and he stood up.

"Roxie, Hayner and I will come too," Red chided, patting Riku on the shoulder, "To, you know, help."

Yeah. Right. I was 100% sure Red did not want to go to "help" with what ever Sora needed help with. He was probably only going to make fun of-

_Wait! Did he say I was going too?

* * *

_

So, I thought Riku was a messed up person before, but now, sitting in his living room, I was completely convinced this guy was insane. Not just crazy, but insane. Insane! I don't think I can stress that enough.

The apartment was fairly small, and nice looking. There was one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a sitting area, where I was, and it was extremely neat.

Except for the fact there were hundreds of origami lying around the place.

Swans, flowers, frogs, dogs, balloons, you name it, it was there. All lying on the floor like large confetti, or multicolored snow. Neither would have fit with the black leather couch, dark flat screen TV, books and CD's, and a sword collection that littered the living room, creating a rather depressing (or relaxing feel I guess...) in the apartment.

"I'm beginning to see why you complain about your work so much," Hayner said suddenly, picking up a paper rose. "This guy is just really weird."

"He is, but I've never met him before, so I'm just as shocked as you are about this whole... ordeal."

Suddenly, a knife flew over Hayner's hand, just barely missing his fingers, and dug into the wall near the window. Both of us jumped up, Hayner letting go of the flower he was holding, and stared in shock at Riku, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, his hand out. I should have guessed this, but who knew Riku could throw knives...

"Don't touch the origami!" The man hissed, straightening up. From the kitchen, I heard Sora exclaim, "Oh shit! Riku don't throw knives at your boss' son!"

"Emo..." Hayner muttered in my ear. "That guy is like, the definition of that word." If I had found my voice, I would have agreed with Hayner on that, but at that moment I was too caught up trying not to freak out, that my wonderful voice box wasn't working.

It was then Red came into the apartment. I heard him shout from the doorway, "Uh, Riku? What's with all the origami?"

"I was bored. Being sick is really boring you know, so I looked up things to do when your bored and it came up with paper folding. It's so much fun! I didn't even know there were so many things you could fold before last week, but now, I'm a master at everything. Everything!" Riku let out a maniacal laugh, which turned into a coughing fit. Once again, awkward.

"Alrighty then, Riku. I think it's time for you to go to sleep," Sora said, rolling his eyes and pushing Riku towards the bedroom. Riku tried to protest in a whiny voice, but Sora silenced him with a smack over the head. "No. Seriously, Riku. Go to bed! I don't want to have to babysit you all night. I have a date with Kairi. Now go, before I get Axel to help."

Riku muttered something, but obliged, heading to his bedroom and slamming to door shut behind him. The four of us who were left all looked at each other, before Hayner asked, "Is he always so emo?"

We all laughed at that. Quietly though, so Riku wouldn't come out again.

"No. Not usually. I mean, he went through a phase like that during high school, but he got better when he was seventeen I think." Sora said, collapsing on the chair near the T.V. "He's just messed up because of his medicine."

"That's good." I muttered finally finding my voice. Three pairs of eyes turned to me questioningly. "Well, if I had to deal with Riku when he acted like that everyday, I have a feeling I would kill him."

"I agree," Red added, smirking at me, "Emoness is just not something I would want around the office all the time."

"You know," Sora said, "I don't think I know what emo means. What do you guys think."

_Um... that's not random at all. _I thought to myself. But Sora had a point. What did "emo" mean?

"I think it has something to do with emotions." Hayner said in a brilliant moment. "Think about it. Emo. Emotions. What do you think?"

I watched Red ponder this for a moment, "Hm... well, it could be short for 'emotional.' You know, because emo people are so emotional."

"That makes sense!"

"Doesn't it?"

"Uh, yes. That's why I said it makes sense."

"Well sorry. I don't really remember how to speak spunky teen."

"Dude, you seem like you wouldn't know how."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well-"

This was too much for me. Red and Hayner were having probably the stupidest conversation on in the world, and I really didn't want to listen to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to yell at them, because Sora decided to pick that moment to say something;

"Hey, guys," he grinned as he said this, holding up a purple and gold paper crane, "What if EMO stands for 'extravagantly made origami?'"

We all burst into laughter.

* * *

So, my friend, Withnospaces, read this this morning before I posted it, and when she read the colors of the oragami that Sora holds up, she yelled "Woo! Go Collins colors!" I find that hilarious because purple and gold are my school's colors, and I didn't even realize that when I wrote this XD I feel so smart sometimes.

Anyway, thanks again for reading, and please, please, PLEASE review. Thank you.

~Sunechirei


	6. When I said I'd hit that

Well, it's a little later than the other chapters, but it's still Saturday XD. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

So, I've decided to make my other long KH story a crossover between Kingdom Hearts, and one of the Final Fantasy's, I just haven't figured out which one. I'm also going to be changing a ton of things about it. So, if you read that story as well, I'm sorry, and if you don't, then don't read it, because it's wrong.

Now then, onto chapter 6. The full title is; When I said I'd hit that, I meant with my car.

* * *

The first time I was in the car while Red was driving, it wasn't that bad, probably because I was still getting over being arrested. The second time was a bit worse, but I assumed it was because he didn't want to miss Riku acting weird.

Then there was the third time.

I refuse to get in the car with Red now.

He is absolutely terrifying behind the wheel. How he got his license is a complete mystery to me, and to a few others in the office as well. Kairi told me that he has a knack for hitting things, just randomly, while he's driving, so I should always wear my seat-belt when he is driving. I kind of just shrugged that advice off, seeing as Mom would kill me if she ever found out I didn't put on that safety device.

You know, it just occurred to me that my mother is a very violent person. She threatens to kill me a lot... strange...

Anyway, back to Red's driving.

So, the third time I had to drive with him was about two weeks after the whole incident with Riku. That guy isn't as weird as I first though. Apparently he's actually quite cool when he's not high on cough medicine, though his long hair still scares me. _Anyway_, we were heading out of the building with orders from Da– er, Mr. Strife (I'm not supposed to call Dad, Dad, during work hours, how messed up is that) to pay a surprise visit to one of the hotels in the area, you know, so I can get used to inspections and what not, and I pulled out my keys to take my car. As soon as my keys left my pocket and made a small noise, Red grabbed my hand, and gave me a stern glare.

"I don't trust your driving skills. I'll take the wheel, Roxie," he said, grinning, and I felt myself go red. Which was weird. Why I was feeling embarrassed by that sentence is still something of a mystery to me. I mean, it's not like he has a good reason to trust my skills, after all, the only time Red has heard anything about my driving skills was a month ago when I got arrested. It's only natural that he wouldn't trust his life in my hands.

I shook off the thought, and pulled my hand away from his, pocketing my keys promptly. "Fine. I don't care." That was a lie. I did care. I hated not driving, but I had a feeling that Red wasn't going to let me, no matter what I said or did, and I really didn't feel like getting into a fight with him. Too annoying.

Red grinned and we headed over to his car, which I had to admit, I was kind of jealous of, and didn't mind riding in.

"So, you excited to finally get to see one of the hotels you're going to own?" Red asked me as he started up the car. I rolled my eyes, buckling my seat-belt and slouching.

"I've stayed in these hotels before. I know what they look like."

"You haven't seen the back, now have you Roxie."

Again, my eyes rolled. "Yes I have. My dad owns the places and he's taken me back there. And will yous stop calling me Roxie? That got old a while ago."

"Hm... no can do." The car rumbled silently as Red pulled out of the parking lot, and I could tell he was smirking, "It's your nickname. You can't just ask me to stop calling you that."

"Really? Cuz' I think I just did- holy shit!"

I fell sideways, crashing into the car door as Red swerved out of the parking lot and onto the street with a speed so horrifyingly fast, I was surprised the wheels stayed on the pavement. Recovering from the heart attack I just had, I gripped the edge of my seat, watching Red speed towards the highway at annoyingly fast speeds. Two thoughts flashed through my head at this point.

Red is a fucking hypocrite.

I'm going to die.

"O-O-Oi! Slow down a bit!" I managed to get out after a few seconds of terror. "You're going to get us killed!"

In response to this, Red pressed harder on the gas pedal, speeding up even more, and I could swear that all the color was draining from my face.

"Seriously!"

"Sorry, _Roxie_, I don't like to drive slowly," he laughed, taking one hand off the steering wheel so he could pat me on the head. Instinctively, my hand shot up to knock his away, and I yelled at him to keep both hands on the wheel. Sadly, he took this as a challenge and took his other hand off. "This is pretty easy, you know. I don't know why you're so freaked out by this. I mean, didn't you get arrested for reckless driving and speeding?"

"Shut up! That was different. I was late for work and irritated. You have no reason to be doing th-" I was silenced by the sudden skidding noise we made as Red pressed down on the brake. How his brakes and tires were still in working condition, I would never know. We were at a stop light now. Completely stopped, so I decided to try and talk some sense into the stupid red-head while I wasn't trying to hold on for dear life.

"Look, you're going to get caught for this, and we don't have time to deal with the police."

"Roxie, I have _never_ been pulled over. For anything. I'll be perfectly fine." As reassuring as his voice sounded, I wasn't convinced. But what could I do? I was stuck riding shot gun...

The light turned green and Red took off again, driving just as recklessly as before.

And my hatred for him grew stronger.

We were silent for about five minutes as Red made his way through the confusing streets of downtown Radiant Garden, heading towards the highway, and I enjoyed the silence. Kind of. Normally, I would have tried to start a conversation, as I hate awkward silences, but it was Red, and I was scared, so I was content to just sit there and watch as Red pulled off stunts I had only seen in movies. I had a feeling his car looked really cool from the air.

Finally, Red pulled onto the highway, driving even faster than before, and we sped south towards the small town of Hallow Bastion.

"So, now that we're going to be on the open road for a while, why don't we talk. After all, we're going to be spending a _lot_ of time together in the near future. It's best we get to know each other a bit." Red said almost mockingly. I really didn't want to talk about my life, but he was right. Unfortunately. In the three weeks I had known the crazy man, I had learned almost nothing about him, other than he was raised in born and raised in Radient Garden. It's amazing how you can live in the same town as someone for eighteen years and never see them.

"Fine," I muttered, still gripping the armrest of my seat. I slouched in my seat, hoping that the two hour drive to Hallow Bastion wouldn't be _too_ bad. And that we wouldn't get pulled over.

"Alright then, let's make this a game. I'll ask you ten questions first, then you ask me any ten questions you want, and we trade off." Great. "Hm... where were you born?"

"Here."

"Okay, have you ever moved?"

"No."

"Do you have any siblings."

"No."

"Pets?"

"No."

"Friends?"

"Obviously."

"You do realize that your answers can be more than one word," the man asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I know. I just don't feel like it. And that's six questions. You only have four more." I was causing him to become frustrated, which I wasn't quite sure was a good thing, but it made me happy. Anything to get back at the jerk...

"Fine. What high school did you go to?"

"Twilight High."

"Really? I've heard it's a good school," I was about to answer his 'question,' but he cut me off before I could. "That's not one of my questions. Now then, do you have any relatives?"

I had to think about this for a second. Neither of my parents really kept in touch with their families. "My grandparents are dead on both of my parents' sides, and I don't have any uncles or aunts...," I finally replied.

"Huh. Small. You don't usually see that in a rich family." I had to wait for Red's next question as he changed lanes, without looking, mind you. "So, what do you think of this job so far?"

I shrugged, not really sure how to answer. Sure, I hated having to be there with a burning passion, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. "Well, most of the people are nice, with the exception of you and Ellie," Red scoffed at this statement, but I ignored him, "and I don't feel like I want to die every time I walk in there, so I guess it's okay."

"You really think I'm mean?" Red sounded hurt when he said this, though it was hard to tell as he swerved suddenly into another lane, causing me to crash into the door again. It's difficult to tell how someone says something when you're being crushed against a wall.

"Yes and no," I answered, rubbing my arm, "You can be an ass, but you're not as bad as some people I've met. You're average. That's ten."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Your turn."

I wasn't really looking forward to this part. Answering questions about myself wasn't that hard, but coming up with questions to ask other people was just weird to me. But, I had to do it. I wouldn't put it past Red to come up with some way to get back at me for not completing my part of the "game."

"Okay, um... what are your parent's names?"

"Xemnas and Saïx. And before you ask, they're both guys."

So he was raised by gay dads. That made sense. "Okay, where do you live right now?"

Again, he smirked. "In downtown Radiant Garden. I share an apartment with Sora because he's pathetic and didn't want to live alone."

I desperately wanted to ask if they were dating, but I figured the answer would be no, seeing as Sora fawned over Kairi. They were probably the one's going out. "What high school did you go to?" I wasn't being very creative.

"Didn't. I was home schooled, then took my GED when I was fifteen." Fifteen! Was this guy a genius or something? Of course, that was my next question. Red laughed at me. "I'm twenty five, and have a masters in business. How many people do you know who can say that? Yes I'm a genius."

Well, he certainly wasn't humble. "What do you do when you're not busy working?"

"Depends. I read, or listen to music, sometimes I jam on the piano. But most of the time, I play with fire." Oh great. A pyro. Just what I needed in my life. But I wasn't aware that he played the piano. I would not have guessed that from looking at him. "Five left."

"Um... What about your family? Do you have any?"

"Well, I was adopted, so I don't know anyone in my 'real' family, but my dad's have tons of relatives. I have a total of six uncles, a cousin, and one aunt. Confusing, I know."

"Are they all uncles and... an aunt?"

"Nah. Some of them are actually second cousins or something like that, but I hate calling them that, so I stick with aunt and uncles. Two questions left."

Two? I couldn't have sworn I had three left, but then I remembered that I technically asked two questions in one. I was hoping that he would forget about that, as I was starting to actually have fun with this, but he was obviously getting back at me for counting his stupid question about my question length. "Alright... um..." Suddenly, I got a bright idea. "Why do you call me Roxie?"

A smirk wormed it's way onto Red's face, and he completed yet another dangerous lane change.

"Because Roxas is too serious. Roxie is a cute name, and it fits you."

Um...

Did red just call me cute?

What the fuck?

This is the question I wanted to ask, or at least something along those lines, but for some reason, I didn't ask that question. Instead, I inquired, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Why I asked that, I have no idea. I wasn't even thinking about girlfriends, or dating, just the fact that Red had called me cute. Where the hell did that come from.

I wanted to desperately escape from the car, and chances are, I would have jumped out if Red hadn't been going over a hundred miles and hour. I was so embarrassed, but at the same time, I knew I shouldn't be.

Asking someone whether or not they have a girlfriends is a legitimate question. I couldn't tell why I was internally freaking out so much over this, and the fact that I was, nearly made me laugh out loud. Fortunately, I had no more time to think about this, as Red finally answered the question I was regretting.

"No."

That was all he said. No. There was no long explanation like for the other questions, no joking around with me, asking random questions about my love life.

He just said no.

That wasn't odd at all.

And to make matters worse, he didn't say anything else.

For the rest of the trip.

I tried to make conversation with him, but he ignored me, doing some random and crazy stunt to get me to shut up. That wasn't like him at all. I mean, I've only known this guy for a week, but every time I saw him, he tried to talk to me. About the strangest things even. But one question from me about his love life, and he closes his mouth for an hour and a half.

This guy couldn't get any weirder.

Could he?

* * *

Hallow Bastion was much like Radiant Garden, only it wasn't quite as rich. I had only been there once before, and it was a long time ago, back when I was like, five, so I was kind of shocked at how similar it was to my hometown. The streets, the formation of the buildings. It was very strange.

"Here we are," Red said, startling me with his sudden ability to speak. He pulled, dangerously, into the parking lot of the new hotel. It was the nicest building in the neighborhood, sticking out like a sore thumb, and I felt somewhat embarrassed to be here. Being in Red's car, driving into a nice hotel parking lot, was like saying to the rest of the world, "I have money, I'm special, everyone be jealous." And as true as the first one was, I, in no way, felt special.

Especially not after being ignored for an hour and a half by a normally talkative guy.

"So, what exactly are we going to do here?" I asked, not sure if Red would actually answer me.

"Something Cloud likes to call a surprise inspection." Red seemed to be back to normal, talking with his normal haughtiness. "Basically, we go in, talk to the manager of this place, check to see if there have been any complaints, and also, to see if the hotel is up to the standards of this area."

"Alright, that doesn't sound too hard."

"It's not. But you have to know how to do it."

We got out of the car, and I was happy to be on land again, instead of being in the dangerous vehicle known as Red's car. We walked into the building, as Red chattered away about random things. I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, more worried about his sudden bi-polar attitude, but after we actually got into the building, Red had to shut up as we were greeted by a peculiar man.

"Why, Axel, how nice of you to drop by. I was expecting you a few days ago, if not longer," the man droned, pushing a lock of blue-gray hair our of his face. He stared at us with his blue eyes, waiting for a response from the red-head next to me.

Red let out a laugh. "How did you know we were going to be coming down here, Zexion?"

"I heard that Mr. Strife's son was finally joining the business, so naturally, I assumed you would be bringing the brat down here to visit. Of course, I didn't realize it took three weeks to complete such a simple task."

"Dude, Roxie isn't a brat. A bit annoying at times, but not a brat."

"Hey!" I protested when Red called me annoying. It was him, who was irritating, not me. Even Kairi and Naminé agreed with me on that.

"Sorry, Roxie, but it's true. You can be really annoying sometimes," Red said, placing one hand on my shoulder. "Anyway, how about showing little Roxie here around the building? I have some... business to attend to."

He ruffled my hair, much to my frustration, and I swatted his hand away, and he laughed at me.

* * *

Two hours later, I was back in Red's car, and not a happy camper. Dealing with Zexion had not been easy for me, seeing as he seemed to resent me. Probably because of my dad. Dad and Zexion didn't seem to be the type to get along. Not to mention the fact that every time I mentioned Dad, the blue eyed man cringed and seemed to want to murder me. That was not fun at all.

"What was this business you had to take care of?" I muttered, crossing my arms. Not only was I irritated because of Zexion, but Red had refused to let me drive. So I was stuck in the passengers seat, again, while Red got to drive all crazy like again.

This day was so not going my way.

"Oh, nothing much. Now. Should we finish our game?"

The car rumbled to life, and I clenched onto the seat, just in case.

"Finish our game? You mean the question thing? Why should we? You're the one who went all silent after a single question," my voice was harsh with accusation, hoping to guilt Red into shutting up, or letting me drive, but the red-head just laughed.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. You kinda startled me with the question, and it brought back memories I didn't really want to think about it."

Well, I guess that made more sense than what I was thinking.

A lot more sense.

You don't even want to know what I was thinking.

"Fine. I'll go first this time." Secretly, I was happy to be doing this, but I was never going to let Red know that.

"Ask away, Roxie."

"Don't call me that. And why are you such a bad driver?"

Red laughed some more, almost as if he wasn't expecting me to ask that question. But I did, and I was expecting an answer. "Well," he began, "I didn't use to be a bad driver. For a while, I was actually very safe when I was behind the wheel. Then came the day when I had an interview with your dad. That was an interesting day. Anyway, on my way here, I had a bit of... an accident."

"An accident? What kind of accident?"

"A car accident, obviously. Twenty-two years old, and I got into a minor accident. Ever since then, I've had the worst luck with cars and hitting things. Well, only when I drive like a civilized person."

"Um... okay then."

"It's true! Do you not believe me?"

"No. Not really."

Red smiled, leaning back in his seat. "It's okay. You will eventually."


	7. What makes 100

Well, it's a couple hours early, but I'm really bored because I've spent the last two days unable to talk and sick... It's highly annoying... Also I don't feel like staying up till midnight, or posting it late tomorrow so...

Anyway, I was very sad to find out that only one person bothered to review last week, even though many people read it... I'm disappointed in all of you readers out there... So, I'm not going to be posting anything for the next two weeks, though it really has nothing to do with the reviews... I have finals coming up and I need to focus on that...

On a somewhat related note, I would like to thank all of the people who have reviewed, including, Soul-Kit524, SutaaFox, Rocket-ship-Romance, iluvtoady, and . Thanks to all of you for spending a few minutes to tell me what you think. :)

Anyway, please review (seriously, please review) and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

~Sunechirei

Full chapter title: What makes 100%

* * *

Red and I were in Dad's office.

Why were we in there?

Because Dad wanted a day off, so he left me and Red in charge.

This was definitely not good for me.

I was sitting at my dad's desk, reading a few reports and what not, like I had been taught over the past two months, while Red sat in the nice comfortable recliner chair in the corner of the room, playing with a piece of paper. He was supposed to be helping me read through these reports, all of which from different managers across the world, but he was, of course, being extremely lazy.

"Roxie, you should take a break. It's like, two in the afternoon and we haven't even gotten lunch yet!" Red whined from his little haven, and I rolled my eyes.

"It's nine a.m. Stop complaining." Normally I wouldn't have been so irritated, but I was being bombarded with papers about complaints from customers, and items that needed to be addressed in each hotel near Radiant Garden, and I didn't know how to do any of this. Red was supposed to be helping me learn, but he was too "busy" being bored and lazy that he couldn't bother.

As I was scanning over a particularly long complaint from some snobby rich woman, who I've heard Dad complain about many times over, I watched Red out of the corner of my eye. He was folding the paper, then unfolding it, the folding it, then unfolding it. Why he was doing this was a mystery to me, and an annoying one at that. Here I was, working my-

"Nine a.m., two p.m., is there really any difference?" Red asked me as he began to fold the paper again, this time, into a shape I recognized. He then tossed the stupid thing over to me, and it landed perfectly, just like a real plane, on the paper I was reading. "We should take a break, go hang out with Riku and Sora or something."

I ignored him, picking up the airplane with disgust and tossing it into the recycling bin. There was no point in indulging Red's craziness.

"Come on, Roxie! I want to go somewhere, do something! This is so boring!"

"If you think this is boring, then help me out."

"That's even worse! You're as bad as Mr. Boss-Man." He was really starting to get on my nerves, but I couldn't do anything about it. My wonderful father had specifically said that we had to "work together" to get this done. Of course, there was no way for him to know if that's what happened or not, I think, but I wasn't going to take a chance. "Roxie..."

"Stop calling me that."

"I will if you learn my name. You're supposed to have it memorized."

I flinched. I could never remember Red's name (See! Even in my subconscious I can't remember it). I don't know why, it just decided to evade me all the time, which seemed to greaty annoy the red-head. "I won't remember your name until you start calling me Roxas. You know, my real name," I finally replied, marking a note on the paper.

"Ah, the bargaining begins." Amusement was obvious in Red's voice at this point, and I had to look up. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms stretched over his head as he smirked at me.

"You know, if you actually worked hard at something, you might get farther in life," I muttered with irritation. Of course, I knew that he didn't have to work hard to do anything. After all, he's a genius who graduated from high school at the age of fifteen and got into the top college in the world without even trying. He could do what ever he wanted without so much as lifting a finger.

Red let out a laugh. "Oh Roxie, you don't know anything, do you. Hard work doesn't equal one hundred percent."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Hard work doesn't equal one hundred percent."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

At this, Red stood up and walked over to my dad's desk, placing his hands on the wooden surface, covering my papers. "You see, if you match the alphabet up with it's corresponding number, then 'hard work' doesn't equal one hundred percent."

I stared up at him with disbelief, and pushed back on my desk. He was making absolutely no sense, and he was too close for my liking. "I don't care. Just help me," I said, reaching out to pull the paper I was reading out from under Red's hand. As I did this, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me in closer.

"Of course you care."

He was too close again. Way too close. I could feel my face burning up, and I yanked my arm out of his hand, standing up quickly. "No, I don't." Silence fell between us as I glared at Red, and he stared back at me without even a hint of fear. No matter what I did, I just couldn't scare this guy.

"Well, that's too bad, because it's time you learned the tricks of the trade," the man said, standing up straight so he towered over me. "May I have a piece of paper."

He wanted a piece of paper. Why did he want a piece of paper? Why is he doing this anyway? I was too scared to ask, but also to afraid to _not_ give him what he wanted. When someone is at least six inches taller than you, it's probably wise to listen to what they say.

I bent down slowly, making sure not to break eye contact in case he decided to do something weird, and grabbed a piece of paper from the printer, and handed it him slowly.

"Thank you, my dear."

_What the hell?_

"What did you just-" I tried to yell at him, but he cut me off with a shush, and pulling the pen out of my hand. He began scribbling furiously on the paper, then held it up suddenly. This was written on it:

_If:  
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z_

_is represented as:  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26_

_then:_

_H A R D W O R K  
8 1 18 4 23 15 18 11 = 98_

I stared at it, disbelievingly. It made sense now, but I couldn't tell why he was doing this. Unless he was trying to get out of doing work, which was highly likely. However, I couldn't understand how he was able to graduate from college with a master's degree at the age of twenty-two was so lazy.

"So you see, hard work doesn't get you to a hundred. Knowledge doesn't either," Red explained, placing the paper down in front of him and writing again. This time, I decided not to let him finish. I didn't care about this at all.

Before he could finish writing, I snatched the paper out from under his hands, and crumpled it into a ball.

"Oi!" Red hissed, glaring at me with his light green eyes.

I scoffed, amused at how irritated he was getting. "If you have time to be explaining to me how certain words add up, then you have time to help me do some of the work we were assigned."

Red stood up straight. "I don't do that kind of work."

"Oh really? This is what my dad does at work all day, so obviously this is what you should be doing too."

"You would think that, but no. I have a different job than you do."

"Excuse me?"

Confused as to what he meant, I dropped my guard a bit, only to have my hand with the paper grabbed, and yanked out in front of me. Gasping, I tried to pull back, but Red was too strong. So instead, I grabbed the paper with my other hand, determined not to let the red-head have it. He let go of my wrist, still glaring.

"Give me the paper, Roxie, and no one get's hurt."

My stubbornness grew greatly after Red said that, and now I was sure I didn't want him to have the paper. I couldn't figure out why he wanted the piece of paper so badly, and why he didn't just get a new piece if he really wanted to show me this whole one hundred thing. Then again, nothing Red did made sense.

"Sorry, no can do. Well, not unless you help me." It was now or never. Red never helped me with work, and I was getting sick of it.

"Oh Roxie, you don't know anything, do you?"

"Of course I know-" Before I could finish my sentence, Red jumped over the desk with amazing speed, causing me to stumble backwards. Next thing I knew, I was being pinned to the wall, both my wrists caught in the crazy red-head's hands, and he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"I get what I want, without bargaining, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Damn he was strong. It was then I vowed to start going to the gym more often. It was just plain old sad that I was being pressed against the wall by an anorexic (I think) man. Of course, he was taller than me, and he had the advantage, but still. Starting after work, I planned to go to the gym every day. Then I'd show Red.

"Why do you even care about this piece of paper so much?" I asked, hiding my frustration as best I could.

"I don't. It's just fun to mess with you. Got it memorized?" He hissed before letting me go, the paper in his hand. I hadn't even noticed him take it from me. "Now then, where were we?"

I gave up at this point. I should have never tried to stop the madness. Trying to stop and insane person from doing insane things, is in itself, insane. I never did learn.

_K N O W L E D G E  
11 14 15 23 12 5 4 7 5 = 96_

This is what was written on the paper when Red shoved it in my face, and I rolled my eyes, pushing the paper away.

"Go ahead and keep writing these things, but don't show it to me. I have things to do," I hissed, trying to keep my anger under control. Unfortunately, Red didn't seem to want me to do the work that Dad assigned to us, as he refused to move from his spot, instead, sitting on the edge of my dad's desk.

"Hold on there, blondie. I have a few more to show you."

Blondie? When did he decide to call me blondie, and what happened to my other annoying nickname? I asked him this.

"I thought you didn't like me calling you Roxie," Red smirked as he began to write again, still keeping me from doing my work.

"I don't. But 'blondie' isn't any better. Just call my by my real name." I tried to move from the wall, hoping that if I got to the other side of the desk, I could continue my work. Unfortunately, Mr. Red-head decided I wasn't allowed to leave, as he stuck out his leg, and pressed his foot against my stomach, keeping me trapped against the wall.

"Get your foot the hell away from me!" I growled, attempting to push it away, but to no avail.

"Sorry, no can do," Red laughed, mimicking my words from earlier, "I think you need to be taught a lesson. You really need to respect your elders more."

"Respect my elders? Are you fucking kidding me! I respect my elders. You just aren't one of them!" With that, I pushed on his foot one more time, and managed to move it, causing Red to fall off the desk. As quickly as I could, I scrambled to the other side of the wooden blockade, but Red managed to catch up to me.

I don't exactly remember what happened after that, but the next thing I know, I'm laying on the ground. To be more exact, I'm laying on the ground, with Red on top of me, pinning me there with a grin on his face.

Now, that wouldn't have been _too_ bad if a second later the door to my dad's office opened, revealing Riku and Sora. They stared down at us, seeming shocked, and I could swear that if I could see my face right now, it would be bright red. And of course, what Riku said didn't help at all.

"Oh, sorry guys. Didn't mean to _disturb_ you."

I tried to protest, but the door closed before I could say a word, and I could hear Riku and Sora laughing. It was too much for me. I managed to get one of my hands out of Red's grip, and punched him in the face.

Jumping off of me, Red reached up to cover his now bleeding nose, growling angrily.

"You, get the fuck away from me, right now!" I hissed at him before he could speak. "I don't care what you do anymore, but let me to my work in peace!" I was screaming now, trying hard to ignore the nauseous feeling rising in my stomach. Me and blood have never mixed...

Red just gave me a blank stare before turning and leaving the room.

* * *

Four hours later, I was almost done with my work, and I was starting to calm down after my strange morning. My dad was supposed to be back any second now, and when he came, I was going to tell him that Red was an ass who needed to be fired. That would solve my problems.

As I was straightening up the room, I heard familiar voices outside of the door. It was my dad.

"Hello there, Roxas. I hear you had a strange morning," Dad said as he opened the door. I smiled, realizing that at least one thing was going to go my way this summer, until I saw Red (in a different outfit) standing behind him.

"Um... yes. I did." I replied hesitantly.

"May I ask why it is you didn't bother to help Mr. Lea here when he was nearly bleeding to death. He had to go to the hospital, you know."

_Wait, he did!_ My thoughts were frantic. I had caused Red to go to the hospital? Sure, he deserved it, but now I felt guilty about the whole thing.

"I'm waiting, Roxas."

Gulping silently, I replied, "I had to finish the paperwork." This could not end well.

"I'm disappointed in you, Roxas. I thought that you would be the kind who would help a friend out when he's in pain, instead of sitting here doing work." My dad was shaking his head. "You two, please get out of my office now."

I stumbled out of the room, confused as to what just happened. Behind me, Red laughed. "I didn't actually go to the hospital. You just gave me a simple bloody nose. But that just proves my point."

"What point would that be, exactly?"

I was then handed a piece of paper, and I opened it nervously, aware that Kairi was watching my every move. Written on the piece of paper was:

_but;_

_A T T I T U D E  
1 20 20 9 20 21 4 5 = 100_

_and:  
B U L L S H I T  
2 21 12 12 19 8 9 20 = 103_

_So, it stands to reason that hard work and knowledge will get you close,  
attitude will get you there, but bullshit will put you over the top._

_And look how far this will take you..._

_A S S K I S S I N G  
1 19 19 11 9 19 19 9 14 7 = 118_

I crumpled up the paper and threw it at Red's face before storming away.


	8. Most people are only alive because

I don't know why, but there's just something about finals that makes me want to curl up in a ball and sleep until the world ends... *sigh* Well, I'm glad their over now... *shakes head* Okay! That was really random and completely pointless! Oh well.

So, thank you all for reading this strange yet entertaining (I hope) story that my plot bunnies randomly generated one day. Also, thanks to those of you who reviewed. Especially to you, SutaaFox. Every time I read your reviews I can't help but smile knowing that someone out there likes my story :)

Anyway, I'm sorry this is being posted so late. My wonderful father decided I wasn't allowed to do anything today until my room was clean so I had to spend all day doing that... it's all sparkly now though XD

...I think the cleaning supplies have gotten to my head...

Now then, onto chapter 8, titled; "Some people are only alive because it's illegal to kill them." Enjoy! (and please review)

* * *

_"Roxas, I need your help."_

There was noise coming out of my phone, I knew that, but what was being said, I couldn't tell. It might have been because my best friend was mumbling, but I had a feeling it was more the fact that I had just woken up. Five in the morning... what kind of insane idiot calls their friend at five in the morning?

_"Well, will you help me?"_

His voice was clearer this time.

"I dunno. Maybe. What do you need me to do?" I asked, my voice slurred from exhaustion.

_"I need your help, planning a murder."_

I hung up. There was no need for me to deal with killing people this early in the morning, in fact, there was no need for me to deal with murder at all. As I lay back down, hoping to catch a bit more sleep before I had to get up for work, the ringtone signaling a call from Hayner sounded from my bedside table, and I groaned.

"Go away!" I muttered into the phone after I answered it.

_"Dude, come on. I need your help. It won't be that hard. You don't even know the person and-"_

I snapped my phone shut again, but this time, before he could call back, I turned off my lovely communication device and placed it back on my bedside stand. Now the weirdo couldn't bug me. Or so I thought.

For a while, I lay in bed, dozing, but after about an hour, I heard commotion downstairs. Knowing that there was no way my mom was awake yet, I became worried that some guy was breaking into our house. Of course, it could have just been Dad, but I doubted that seeing as he's so quiet...

As silently as I could, I slipped out of bed, and crept towards the door to my room. I opened it, and began to head down the stairs, tensing in case it really way a burglar. However, it wouldn't make sense for a person to try and rob my house. If they knew anything about the Strife family, then they wouldn't dare try anything. After all, we do have about eighty alarm systems, body guards, and watch dogs. Of course, the fact that none of these things went off or were attacking meant that it was either a very good burglar, or someone my family knew.

Sadly, my brain doesn't function well at six in the morning, so I didn't think of these things before hand. Instead, I thought we were all going to be killed.

Needless to say, I felt really stupid when I nearly attacked my best friend as he raided our fridge.

"Dude!" Hayner exclaimed when I was about to maul him with a roll of paper towels, "It's just me, calm down. You aren't one of the people I want to kill!" I blinked, staring at him without realizing what exactly was going on.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" I asked, still a bit groggy.

"Well, you hung up on me twice, and then turned off your phone, so I came over to talk to you. Brilliant, I know."

This was unbelievable. I had known that Hayner was an idiot, but not to this extent. "Usually, when that happens, it means that the person doesn't want to be talked to. Leave, before I call the cops." I grabbed the door to my fridge and slammed it shut before heading out of the kitchen.

"Oh, you won't call the cops on me. Besides, I didn't do anything wrong."

"Breaking and entering. Yeah, that's not wrong at all."

"I didn't break in! I have a key."

I froze. "What?"

"I didn't tell you? I stole your key one day and made a copy of it in case anything like this happened." It was then I fully woke up. I turned around quickly, and jumped of the stairs, tackling my friend to the floor. The two of us wrestled with each other for a while, but finally, I pulled away with the duplicate key in my hands, a victorious smile on my face.

Hayner stood up, rubbing his arm as he glared at me, and I could tell he was regretting telling me about the key. He should have known that I was going to take it from him seeing as I refused to just let him come over here whenever he wanted.

"Not cool, man. Not cool at all," my friend mumbled to himself. "Anyway, now that you're fully awake, I want to talk to you about-"

"I'm not going to help you kill anyone." My statement was blunt, and calm, which was obviously _not_ the reaction Hayner wanted out of me. Then a thought suddenly occurred to me. "What are you doing up so early on a Sunday? I would have thought you would be dead asleep right now."

Hayner rolled his eyes and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "That's why I need your help! My next door neighbor... she never shuts up! I've been awake all night because she's so loud!"

I didn't really want to know what this woman was doing that was so loud, so I cut Hayner off before he could go into greater detail. "You're just going to have to live with it."

Hayner shook his head. "No can do, man. If I have one more sleepless night I might break. That would be very bad."

"Some might say you breaking is a good idea..." I muttered, trying not to let Hayner hear me. Unfortunately, he did, and he wasn't very happy about it.

"You know what. I don't need your help. I'll just call Axel," he said with a smirk, waiting for my reaction. I stared at him with a blank expression, trying desperately to figure out who he was talking about.

_Do I know an Axel?_

Then it hit me, kind of like a ton of bricks would. I felt rather stupid.

_Right! Red!_

"Don't call him!" I groaned, knowing that nothing good could come out of Hayner and Red spending time together. "There's no point. He's not going to help you." Of course, the the two of them spending time together wasn't the only reason why I didn't want Hayner to call the red-head. There was also the fact that Riku and Sora were still convinced that Red and I had a secret sex life that we didn't want anyone to know about, and Red found this highly entertaining. I hated them all.

"Wanna bet?" Hayner whipped out his phone, and I tried to grab it, but he back away before I could. He typed something into his phone and held it up, letting the dial tone ring out.

_Damn. He put it on speaker._

"Hayner, I'm warning you now. Give me the phone or I will tackle you again." I jumped for the device again, only to be tripped by Hayner, then pinned to the ground by his butt. As I struggled to get up, the teen laughed at me.

"I'd like to see you try."

_"This is Axel Lea. Who the hell are you and why the hell are you calling me?"_

Red sounded irritated, but not tired, so I figured that either he was just being an ass, or he was busy. To my surprise, however, I found that it was no shock to me that Red was up this early. He just seemed like the kind of guy who rose with the sun.

"Is that anyway to talk to your boss' son's best friend?" Hayner asked, pinning my arm behind my back so I couldn't move.

_"Hayner? I haven't talked to you in a while. Why are you calling me?"_

"You see, I have a little dilemma, and Roxas here won't help me out."

_ "Roxie's there?"_

"Yep. I'm at his house right now, and have him-"

"Boys, if you're going to kill each other, I would really appreciate it if you do so outside. That carpet is rather expensive."

I groaned at the sound of my mother's voice. This morning was not going well, and didn't seem to be getting any better. As usual. In the past week, I had been pinned to the ground twice by crazy people, and both times people have walked in on that scene, though luckily the second time wasn't as bad as the first, seeing as it was my mom and Hayner, and not Riku, Sora, and Red involved.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Strife. Nice to see you this morning." Hayner greeted my mom with a nod before turning back to the phone. "So, Axel, think you can help me out?"

"No, please just hang up the phone, Hayner." I groaned, trying to reach for the phone again, ignoring the sharp pain that came with moving.

"Roxas, be nice," Mom said as she stepped around Hayner and me. "Mr. Lea is a nice person, and you should be more civil towards him." She glared at me after saying this, obviously referring to a few days ago. Dad had told her that I hadn't "accompanied" Red to the "hospital." Luckily, they weren't aware that I was the one who punched Red so...

_"Thank you, Tifa. I've been trying to tell Roxie that since we first met."_ Mom smiled at the phone before walking into the kitchen. _"I'll help you out Hayner. Why don't I come to Roxie's house and we can talk there." _

_ Shit!_

I began to struggle again, but to no avail.

_Right... I need to go to the gym._

"Okay. That sounds like a plan. See ya soon." Hayner snapped the phone shut and smirked down at me. "There's no way you're getting out of this now."

* * *

They tied me to a chair.

They actually tied me to a chair.

Why did they tie me to a chair?

I want to know that myself.

I would have complied, eventually. I mean, there's nothing wrong with just _plotting_ someone's death, right? As long as we never actually try to kill the woman, we won't get in trouble. I hope.

"So, she lives next door to you, and she's really loud," Red mused, snickering slightly, "That's wonderful. Don't you agree, Roxie?"

"Shut up." I muttered, struggling against the rope that was binding me to the kitchen chair. It was surprising how well my best friend and worst nightmare worked together, but more so than that, how well Red could tie knots. "And untie me! I'm not going to run! I don't trust the two of you together in my house."

Red and Hayner laughed. "This is your parent's house, dude, and they trust both of us." Hayner said, tapping the table with his pencil.

"Yeah. Sure they do." The rope was very uncomfortable. I don't even know where it came from. Last time I checked, there was no rope in my house. Of course, I figured that Red could have brought it with him, but why he would do that….

"Okay, so we're ignoring Roxie's irritation and continuing with this murder plan. What are you thinking?"

"You guys, we are not going to talk about this. Untie me, now!" I growled, struggling again. "Why did you tie me up anyway?"

"Because, dear Roxie, I'm afraid you're going to punch me in the face again." Red leaned across the table with his long arm and patted me on the head. Hayner let out a laugh, and shifted so that he faced me next to him.

"You punched him in the face? I'm impressed." I grumbled, not really wanting to think about the events that led up to me punching my coworker in the nose, but unfortunately, I had to, because neither Hayner, nor Red seemed to want to just drop the subject. "So, what happened to make you do that?"

"Oh nothing," Red smirked at me, "I just happened to be on top of Roxie here when Riku and Sora opened the door to the office."

Oh how I wanted to kill Red at that point.

Hayner burst into laughter, and I thought he was going to die because of lack of air. "That sounds totally wrong. I'm guessing that something else happened before that, but Roxas, that makes you sound so ga-"

"_Don't_ say it!"

Killing Hayner sounded like a good idea as well. Maybe the plan they come up with for that woman could be used against them... Of course, that would mean that I would end up going to jail again, and truthfully, that idea was more scary that people thinking I'm gay. Which I'm not. But still.

"So, anyway, back to business..." Red began again, but I wasn't going to let them talk.

"You know what, we should go outside to talk about this. It's August, which means it's going to start getting cold soon, so we should spend as much time outdoors as possible." There was really no point in me saying this. There was no way they were going to agree to it. But I figured that anything I said would delay this stupid conversation a bit more, so it wasn't completely pointless. Maybe.

"I don't know, it looks like it's about to rain." Hayner leaned back in his chair, glancing out the dining room window. "Besides, that would mean we have to untie you. And that would be bad news for Axel, right?" We both turned towards the red-head (well, my head turned) to see what his reaction would be, but strangely, he was just staring out the window.

"I hate the rain," he muttered suddenly.

_Wait a second. He hates something? I never would have guessed!_ This would be perfect. I could so use this against him. Of course, I couldn't do anything while being _tied to a chair_!

"You do? Well to each their own I guess," Hayner said, "Now, stop interrupting us, _Roxie_, we have business to attend to, and if you aren't gong to help, then shut up," he added with a sneer. I growled when he called me "Roxie," but I said nothing, knowing that nothing I said would distract these two again.

"Now then, what do you think would be the best way to deal with this woman?"

"Well, do you have a gun?"

"Nope. My dads are against guns, and despite the fact I don't live with them anymore, I still don't have any."

"Wait… _dads_? Plural? You have two dads?"

"Yep. I was adopted by them when I was two."

"Oh. Cool. Anyway, there could also be poison."  
"Nah. Too traceable."

"Not necessarily."

"No. Trust me. They'll know."

"Well shooting the woman wouldn't be any better."

"…Very true…"

"But it's difficult to get your hands on the proper amount of poison so…"

"I guess. Maybe fire would be best! We could make it look like an accident."

I would have thought that by this point, I would have gotten tired of hearing the two idiots talk about this, but to my surprise, I was actually quite curious. Maybe the two of them were starting to rub their idiocy off on me, but talking about killing a woman just seemed exciting. Of course, I knew they would never actually act on it, so I guess that made it a bit better, but still. Who would have known that me, Roxas Strife, would be interesting in this kind of crap.

"You know, she's a woman, right?"

Both of the weirdos sitting at my kitchen table turned to look at me with incredulous looks on their faces. Rolling my eyes, I continued with my sentence;

"She probably has a ton of sleeping pills, and what not. Why not just make it look like suicide?"

Once again, there was silence. Finally, Hayner stood up and exclaimed, "Hell yes! We got him!"

The three of us started laughing, even though I had trouble due to the rope. I really hoped that they would untie me now.

* * *

It was late in the evening now, and Red, Hayner, and I were sitting in the den, watching some random show on TV. After about three, we had given up on planning that strange woman's murder, and instead decided that it would be easier for Hayner to deal with it, especially since he was moving to another city in less than a months time.

"Hey, Roxie, I think your friend fell asleep." I turned towards the couch where Hayner had collapsed on, and smiled. I wasn't surprised that he was asleep, seeing as he hadn't gotten any in the past three days.

"He does that sometimes. Just leave him be," I replied, laying down on the couch I was sitting on. "When are you leaving?"

"Well, aren't you nice," Red snorted, copying my movement. "I'll leave when I feel like it."

"How about you leave when I tell you to."

"Sorry, no can do."

The two of us glared at each other for a second before bursting into laughter. I was beginning to think that Red wasn't actually that bad of a guy. He just had a strange attitude, and way of living life. It was kind of refreshing, though, to see how different our lives have been.

"You know, you're a lot nicer to me now," Red managed to say after a while. "Why is that?"

I smiled to myself, amused that I had just been thinking about that same thing, only seconds before Red had asked that question.

"Who knows."

"Well, I would think you would be even meaner to me, seeing as I got in in trouble with your father. Plus Riku and Sora ar-"

"Well, if you bring those tho things up, I'm definitely not going to be nice to you."

Red grinned and sat up again. "You know, I keep having this strange feeling you actually like me, and that this hatred of your is just a cover because you're embarrassed." I sat up as well and threw a pillow at him.

"In your dreams," I shot back as he dodged the pillow, laughing.

"If only you knew."

I thought that's what I heard him say, but he was mumbling, so I couldn't exactly tell. He could have said something else, like, like, oh, I don't know. It doesn't matter anyway.

"So, what do you want to watch next?" Red asked, laying back down again. "Everything we've watched has been so boring. Hayner has such bad taste."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I didn't want to give him the remote." I reached towards the table to grab the remote and switched the channel. What was on was a movie that I hadn't seen in a while, but loved to watch, so I kept the channel there. I heard Red laugh.

"Man! I loved watching this movie when I was younger. This is going to be awesome."

It was then I realized something.

Some people are only alive because it's illegal to kill them.

Red wasn't one of those people.

* * *

Le gasp! What's this? Roxas is starting to warm up to Axel? O.O Oh dear, this is going to be interesting. XD

Well, I have some sad news... I'm not going to post anything else until after the New Year... :'( Horrifying, I know... but I need to relax a bit, loosen up, you know? Besides, chapter 15 is going to take me a while to write (that's right, I have up to chapter 14 written), and I want to get ahead some more... *sigh* But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review, and have a wonderful holiday and New Years :)

~Sunechirei


	9. I'm not a stalker

Least favorite chapter... I really don't like this one, not because it's horribly written (which is also true), but also because of what happens at the end... but it has to be in here, so I won't complain too much... only a little at the beginning of every chapter until this whole ordeal ends... *sigh*

Anyway, it's been two weeks, so I'm going to be posting regularly again. Hope all of you guys had wonderful holidays! I know I did :) I finally got Birth By Sleep, so expect more about Ellie now that I know what the story of the time she was alive was :) Maybe...

Now then, I hope you'll all be nice and review this time, but I'm not expecting anything anymore... Please enjoy anyway!

Full chapter title: I'm not a stalker. I simply prefer to admire from afar.

* * *

One more day.

That was all the time I had left to spend with Hayner.

However, instead of doing such a thing, I was at work, chatting up Naminé.

I knew it was pissing Hayner off.

"So, you don't get along with Axel?" Naminé asked, handing me a piece of paper with a smile, "That's so strange. He's such a nice person." I rolled my eyes, grabbing the only pen anywhere near me, and signed the paper, which I wasn't even sure I should be. Where was Red when I needed him...

"Oh yeah. So nice," I muttered, handing the paper back. "That's why he makes me do all the work." It was completely true. He made me do pretty much everything that we were told to do, and I had no idea what his job actually was! Dad kept telling me that it was important, but I had never seen him do anything. It was a tad annoying.

"Axel does a lot of work. You just don't see it because he's very discreet about it." Naminé took the form from me and typed something into the computer. "Thanks. That's all I need." She smiled up at me, and I felt like my stomach just did a flip. She was so sweet.

I placed the pen on the table and waved at her. "You're welcome," I said, turning to leave. Suddenly, however, I got this strange feeling, and I felt the need to ask something. "Hey, Naminé...?" I began slowly, looking up at her. She cocked her head to one side cutely, her eyes wide as she waited patiently for me to finish my question. Feeling a burst of courage, I opened my mouth to speak, but unfortunately, nothing was able to come out as my stupid best friend decided it was time to burst into the building and yell at me.

"Dude!" Hayner exclaimed, coming up beside me with an irritated expression crossing his face. "You're taking forever! I thought you guys got done at noon today." He paused for a second, waiting for me to answer, or even acknowledge he was there, but I was too pissed off to really say anything. So, he sighed and growled, "It's twelve thirty."

I knew it was twelve thirty. Keeping track of time was one of my specialties, I can't believe he didn't know that! But he couldn't wait for one more moment, one more minute, one second while I frikin asked my question?

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Impatient," I nearly hissed, much to Naminé's amusement. She seemed to know that I wanted to ask something _personal_. "It's true that the office technically closes at noon today, but unfortunately, I had something to do. I'm _so_ sorry I don't run according to your schedule," I added, trying not to scowl. Every time I had gotten the courage to ask Naminé out, someone interrupted me, whether it be Sora or Riku making fun of me, Red being his weird self, or Ellie informing me of legal crap I could really care less about. It's like the world didn't want me to go out with the adorable blond girl.

"Okay. I'll just wait for you then." Hayner leaned against Naminé's desk, giving me an amused look. It was obvious that he knew what I was thinking, and he was getting back at me for taking my time on his last day in Radiant Garden.

He's such a bastard.

Sighting, I checked to make sure I had nothing else to do, because knowing my dad, he would leave something really random for me, but luckily, there was nothing. "There. I'm done. Happy?" I gave Hayner a look of irritation, then turned to Naminé. "See you tomorrow." I waved to her, which she replied with a sweet goodbye. I could swear that girl was going to be the death of me, making me feel so happy inside and what not. However, Hayner's pissy mood ruined my good one, and I ended up stalking out of the building.

As soon as we were in the parking lot, Hayner started laughing. "Okay, you really like this girl, don't you?" He laughed at me, no doubt trying to provoke a reaction, but I ignored him. Unfortunately, he didn't catch the hint that I wanted him to shut up, and continued talking. "I have to admit, she is really good looking." Swiftly, I turned to him and punched his arm. "Oi!" He exclaimed, rubbing his arm, "Calm down. There's no way I'd go after her."

I already knew that. This guy still couldn't stop talking about Olette. So, I climbed into my car, ignoring the jeers that were coming out of my best friend; something about me being possessive, and started the engine, not caring if my friend was in the vehicle or not. We were going to hang out at the mall for the rest of the day, but if Hayner didn't get in the car in the next three seconds, I would have had no issues with just going home and sleeping. Sadly, he did get in the car, so I was stuck going to the mall.

Well, not stuck, really. Sure, I really just wanted to go home, but I heard there was this new video game out and I kinda wanted to get it, so going shopping wasn't that bad of an idea. Not to mention I needed to buy a few presents for my friends, Hayner included, and I would never go to the mall by myself...

"Look, I know you like her. A lot," Hayner said suddenly, startling me out of my little thought trance. I glanced over at him, trying very hard to keep my eyes on the road so I didn't crash.

"What?" Was he talking about Naminé? I couldn't really tell...

Hayner laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "That girl. I know you really, _really_, like her. So I'm going to help you get together with her." I nearly stopped short when he said that. Hayner, playing match maker? I didn't think so. That guy was so dense and love-stupid that he couldn't even get a date with the girl he's liked since forever. I wondered what made him think he could help me. However, if I said this to him, he would get really mad, so instead, I just asked;

"Why would you help me with that? I mean, you _did_ just interrupted me when I was about to ask her out." Silence greeted me, a sure sign that Hayner had no idea I was going to do that.

"Oh," he nearly laughed, "You were? I didn't know that. Sorry." He certainly didn't sound sorry. "Anyway, I'm going to help you because you haven't liked a girl in years. I was beginning to think you were gay." This time, I did slam on the brakes, but luckily, we were in a residential area, so it didn't matter as much.

"I am _not_ gay!" I hissed, turning to him. Riku and Sora had harassed me enough about my sexual orientation. I didn't need my best friend to question it as well, especially since he knows me well enough to figure out I like girls. Not guys. Girls. Women. Females. Members of the opposite sex.

You get the idea.

"Well obviously." Hayner rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "You wouldn't get all nervous and happy-go-lucky around Naminé if you were. But if something goes wrong with this girl... who knows what'll happen..." He left the sentence hanging and I started moving again, wondering what would happen if I just randomly drove the car into a ditch... No one would know I did it on purpose, and no one could connect the dots for my motive...

With a sigh, I decided not to commit murder today, and muttered, "Thanks. I guess. But how in the world are you going to 'help' me. I mean, you can't even get a date with Olette!" I got smacked for this comment. He deserved it though.

"Why do you think we're going to the mall?" He muttered, face flushed. I wanted to laugh at his reaction, but suddenly, what he said clicked in my mind and I swear I was going to murder him. He had the stupidest ideas sometimes...

"_Excuse me_?" I asked, speeding up slightly in order to keep myself from doing something completely and totally stupid while in the car. Well, speeding up while on a highway can be stupid, but that's not the point. I had a feeling I knew what he was planning, but I figured I should ask anyway, you know, just in case I'd misunderstood him. Sadly, I hadn't.

"You heard me," Hayner announced haughtily, sitting up, "Do you really think I would want to hang out at the mall all day?" He scoffed at the idea. "I want to go because I know that's where Naminé is going to be."

How the hell Hayner knew that... well, that's a mystery within itself, but I was too afraid to ask. "I have a bad feeling about this," I groaned.

"Why? We're just going to stalk her."

I was extremely tempted to stop the car, kick Hayner out, and go home to swim or something. But that might cause an accident, and I wasn't exactly eager to go back to jail. I was still getting over the creepy molester from a few months ago. It still sounded tempting though, and I guessed I could have pulled over and done it, but then I would feel bad (kinda) and Olette might have killed me when she got back. Angry females are not fun to mess with.

So, instead I told him, "No. No we're not. The two of us are going to go, get food, and leave so that nothing happens. Understand?" I ended up acting like a parent sometimes... man, was it annoying.

"What? Not cool dude! This is my last day here! Let me have some fun!"

"At my expense? Hell no!"

"What other fun is there?" I picked up a pen that was rolling around my car and threw it at Hayner who held up his hands and exclaimed, "Hey! I was kidding!"

"Sure you were..." I muttered, turning off the highway. Hayner pouted in the seat next to me, obviously irritated that I wasn't letting him do what ever the hell he wanted, but after a while, he realized just where we were heading.

"Um... why are we going to the mall?" He queried as we passed by the large building. It certainly took him long enough to notice, "I would have thought you didn't want to become a-" Hayner stopped speaking, and grinned, "You _do_ want to know what she does while she's not at work, don't you?" I rolled my eyes, but said nothing, not wanting to let Hayner know he was right. Didn't work, obviously. "Heh. I've corrupted you. Mr. Goody-two-shoes is going to be a stalker. This is going to be so much fun!"

"I'm not a stalker! I just prefer to admire from afar."

I shouldn't have said that.

"Oh, I'm so looking forward to this."

* * *

I wasn't very happy with my stupid hormones. Normally, when I would think of doing something stupid, for instance, stalking someone, my conscious would tell me just how wrong it was to do something like that. However, my conscience was no longer working. I had a feeling it was being overpowered by my goddamn lower brain.

Girls have it so easy when it comes to things like that.

"We really shouldn't be doing this. It's a bad idea," I muttered as Hayner and I followed Naminé through the halls of the mall. It hadn't been easy to find her here, seeing as it's the biggest mall in the biggest city in the most populous country in the world. How Hayner managed to track her down...

"It's a bit late for that, my friend. Now shush. We have to be quiet if we don't want Naminé to know we're here," Hayner muttered in a low voice.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Unless you want to know you're here, then-"

"I thought we were supposed to be quiet."

Hayner smirked, but said nothing else.

* * *

For the next two hours, Naminé did her normal boring girl crap, and Hayner and I followed. It was very annoying how _pointless_ the things this girl did. Going into a million and one stores, buying absolutely nothing, then going into even more stores and finding maybe one shirt.

Of course, not long after that, Naminé decided to go into a lingerie shop.

"May I help you two?"

A sales clerk came up to Hayner and me once we entered the shop, and soon, causing me to lose track of Naminé.

"Um..." Was all I could think to say when the woman had come over to us.

"How about a lovely gift for your girlfriend? We have a selection over here that was made just for bashful boys like you. I think you'll like it." The clerk herded us over to the other side of the room, despite Hayner's protests. I probably should have protested as well, but for some odd reason, I wasn't embarrassed at all. How weird is that?

I mean, I was in a woman's lingerie shop, after stalking a girl I've liked for a while, and was being dragged to a special display for guys who wanted to get something for their girlfriend, and yet, here I was, with a straight face, feeling like this was the most normal thing in the world.

What the hell?

"Now then, what do you think the lucky lady would like? We have new lace bras in, if you would like to see those."

I tried not to laugh at Hayner's face, and I had a feeling he was bright red because he was thinking about how Olette would look in one of these "lace bras." I could just imagine what was going through that tiny brain of his.

And still, I didn't feel embarrassed.

There must have been something wrong with my brain that day.

"Look. We're not here to buy anything..." Hayner tried to say, well, mumble, but he was cut off by the strange lady.

"Nonsense. Come on now. Surely there's a girl dear to your heart out there. I'm absolutely certain she would love something from here for her birthday. Or, if her birthday has already passed, Christmas." There was a strange lilt to the woman's voice that was starting to scare me, so I began to back away, leaving a stuttering Hayner to deal with the mess he had gotten himself into.

It was so horrible of me to leave him there, in the pink room filled with woman's underwear, but, I had to admit, he did observe it.

I exited the room and started laughing, attracting strange looks from everyone around me. Trying to calm down, I looked around to see if there was anywhere I wanted to go. I spotted a random store over by the edge of the mall and headed over there.

However, before I could get very far, I spotted Naminé coming out of the lingerie store, smiling to herself. So naturally, I followed her.

_I have got to stop hanging out with Hayner. If it's become natural for me to follow a girl around the mall, then there is something wrong with me,_ I thought, shaking my head. I trailed the blond girl to the food court, and glanced at my watch, shocked that she would be going there. It was only four in the afternoon, what could Naminé be doing there?

The reason soon became clear.

"Nami! Over here!"

I saw Kairi waving frantically in Naminé's direction. Ellie was there as well, and a girl I didn't recognize.

Naminé smiled, and waved as well, trotting happily over to the other girls.

"Hey! Thanks for coming."

Kairi let out a laugh and hugged Naminé. "Anything for my cousin," she said. So, Naminé and Kairi were cousins... who knew?

"Man, it's hard to believe you two are related. I mean, you act so different from each other, though you guys do have the same taste in men." It was the girl I didn't recognize who spoke this, as she jumped up to hug the blonde as well.

"Selphie, you really need to calm down a bit. I mean, I know you're excited to see me again, but still," Naminé laughed pulling away from the strange girl.

"Excited? That's putting it lightly. Girl, I haven't seen you since like, our junior year! It's so nice to see you again."

I smiled to myself, thinking about how nice it must be to be a girl. They had such simple worries. I wished that my issues would be like that.

* * *

_How long can girls talk for?_

It had been an hour since Naminé had met with the other three girls, and they were just chatting away, talking about the most random things. Well, all of them but Ellie were. She was just sitting there, reading some kind of manual or something. It was interesting to see how Kairi and Ellie acted outside of work, especially since they didn't change at all.

You would think that these girls would have some kind of secret personalities, or strange quirks that they hid while at work, but no. They were the same old women I've been working with for the past three months. Nothing new. It was rather boring.

"I can't believe you ditched me back there..."

I heard Hayner's grumbling form behind me, and I turned, amused.

"Oh come on. I'm sure you had fun. Find anything for Olette?" I began laughed when I saw how red my friend had turned, and then even harder when he muttered, 'yes.'

"Are you serious? Wow. Just wow..."

"Shut up!"

"Sorry, no can do. This is payback."

"More payback? Seriously? I would have thought you would have been satisfied with leaving me alone in a frikin underwear shop!" I hadn't seen Hayner this pissed since he'd gotten suspended for trying to kill a kid that was annoying him during math class in seventh grade. Of course, he wasn't mad that he had been suspended, but because the guy had gotten away with only a few broken bones.

_My friends, I swear..._

I held up my hands in defense as Hayner sat down in the chair across from me. "Sorry. I had to get out of there." I didn't really _have_ to get out of there. It was more I had to leave Hayner in there to suffer alone. Now he's gonna have interesting stories to tell his college friends. Then, when I meet them, they'll know me as the guy who ditched Hayner in an underwear store.

Crap. That'll be really annoying.

"That's Ellie, right?" Hayner suddenly asked, pointing towards the girl with short brown hair. I nodded.

"Yeah."

"And she's the one who you think has a crush on you?"

"Yep."

"But Riku likes her?"

"Uh huh."

"I don't blame him. She's kinda hot."

"Yea- Wait, what?"

Hayner sighed, closing his eyes. "Honestly. Ellie is hot. So is Kairi." I blinked. Did I just hear Hayner correctly? He was calling a girl other than Olette hot? That has_ never_ happened before. Good looking is one thing, but hot... that was just weird. "Don't you think?" He poked me in the arm, knocking me out of my little trance.

"Um... no." I shook my head. "Do you have a fever or something?" I asked, not sure if my friend was delirious, or had just plain old gone mad.

"No. I don't have a fever. Why? Is it wrong for me to think two of the girls you work with are hot? Wow man, way to keep them all to yourself." He snorted.

"Keep them all to my- What is wrong with you today? I only like Naminé. No one else, even though Riku and Sora would argue otherwise. And it is wrong of you to think Ellie and Kairi are hot, especially since you're in love with Olette."

"Well, she doesn't like me-" Hayner muttered, and I rolled my eyes, "-so I think I should just give up on her." Hayner let out a sigh and slumped in his chair. My first reaction would have been to slap Hayner over the head and tell him he's an idiot and he should just ask Olette out because she's totally infatuated with him, but seeing as it's Hayner, he never would have listened to me.

So instead, I replied with, "I think you're an idiot. Anyway, we should go now. I'm getting sick of being all stalkerish."

Hayner just nodded, and the two of us stood up, heading towards the parking garage with Hayner grumbling to himself, and me thinking rapidly.

I didn't quite get why I had agreed to come here after Hayner told me his reason. Actually, I didn't even know how he knew Naminé was going to be here, seeing as he's met her only once. Then of course there's the way he was able to find her with time to spare, but that one was more a question of Hayner's tracking abilities.

The two of us walked in silence all the way to the parking garage, where we found my car, and were about to get in when...

"Roxas! Wait!"

Hayner and I both turned to see Naminé running towards us. Hayner smirked at me, then slid into my car, leaving me alone to deal with the girl I had been stalking all day.

Great.

I laughed nervously. "Naminé, fancy seeing you here..."

"Oh cut the crap, Roxas. I know you've been following me all day." It was then my embarrassment decided to rear it's ugly head, the stupid thing. But Naminé seemed more amused than angry or freaked out. How odd...

"Uh... yeah, sorry about that..."

"Don't worry. I had a feeling your friend was the one who made you do this. Besides, I think it's kind of sweet that you want to know what I do while not at work." She smiled at me, and I once again like I was going to turn completely red.

I swear that my emotions were trying to kill me.

"Um... yeah... hehehe..." I really didn't know what to say at this point. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hayner laughing at me as he spied on us from the rear-view-mirror and I wanted to murder him. Sadly, it's not wise to murder your best friend in front of a girl you desperately wanted to date, so I had to restrain myself.

"Roxas? Are you okay?" I jumped, not realizing that I had once again, spaced out, and looked down at Naminé who had a worried look on her face.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking," I said as my hand reached up to scratch my head, something I did when I was nervous.

"Alright."

We stood there awkwardly for a moment, before I finally, _finally, _asked, "Hey, um... do you, you know, want to go on a date with me?"

Naminé flushed red and she looked down at her feet, and I prepared myself for rejection.

* * *

"So, how did it go?" Hayner asked me when I climbed into the car. I didn't answer him. I was too shocked.

I had a date with Naminé.

"Hello? Roxas? Did you finally snap? I knew this was going to happen someday..." Hayner grumbled, amused.

"She said yes." I managed to get out after a moment.

"What?"

"I asked her out, and she said yes."

"Seriously?"

I nodded.

"Dude! That's awesome! Roxas Strife has a date after three years of being single!"

"Yeah, it's a shame you won't be here for that."

"... you just had to remind me, didn't you."

"Yep."

"Bastard."

"Jerk."

"Why are we friends again?"

"Who knows."

We started laughing at this point. My life was finally starting to turn around, despite my best friend leaving for college. But hey, I had a date with a pretty girl, who was now my girlfriend. This was going to be awesome.

* * *

I. Hate. Namine. I don't know exactly why, but I do, which is why I don't like this chapter. I mean, seriiously? Roxas and Namine going out? That's just wrong :( I know, it's weird that I put it in my story since I hate that pairing so much... but I can't really control my characters, and this is what Roxas and Axel told me had to happen... and if I ignore them, bad things happen...

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see you guys next week!

~Sunechirei


	10. To maintain a healthy level of insanity

Longest chapter so far XD It's about 12 or 13 pages... annoying to write, and even more annoying to edit, but It's done now...

You get to learn a lot about some of the characters in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it :)

So, I got this review from a person named alienphantom for chapter nine, and I felt the need to reply to it in this chapter, so here I go: Yes, Namine and Roxas do have many issues, but I really can't see them going out. Which is weird, because they're currently dating in my story... But, this is an AkuRoku fic, so of course that's not going to last for very long. Only about ten chapters... which has driven me insane... As for finding a good therapist; I do have one, actually XD But we haven't gotten around to the fact that my characters talk to me and make me do things. I think she's too scared to go there :P

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and please review :) Thankies!

Full chapter title: To maintain a healthy level of insanity

* * *

Things were going well.

I was finally getting the hang of work. I was getting over the fact that my three best friends were gone for college. The people at work didn't seem as scary anymore, and I had a beautiful girlfriend.

For the first time in over five months, I was truly happy.

Sadly, not everyone in my office had this opinion.

"I'm so bored!" Red whined one day in late September, as we were sitting in Dad's office, going through a bunch of papers. Well, I was doing the work. Red of course, was just sitting there watching me do everything as he whined about his oh so tedious life. No wonder he was bored...

"Then help me with this. It's not that hard you know," I muttered, jotting a note on a piece of paper. "Besides, you're supposed to be helping me learn this crap."

Red scoffed at my revelation, obviously annoyed by what I'd just said. "I've already done my work load for today," he said in a low, teasing growl, "You can do the rest."

And thus my irritation began to rise. It was just like Red to ruin a perfectly good day with his messed up logic, strange way of speaking, and annoying attitude. I really wished I wasn't there, and I would much rather have been on a wonderful date with Naminé, but no. I was stuck., with the red-head, trying to do work while he was being an annoying jerk, who I seriously wanted to murder at that moment. However, if I murdered him, there would be blood, and that wouldn't end well for me.

"What do you mean, 'you've already done your work load?' What do you even do for this company?" I asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice. Red smirked and leaned across the desk, placing his chin in his hand.

"That, Roxie, is for me to know, and for you to_ never_ find out," he said, his voice quiet enough to pass for a whisper. The sound caused me to shudder, probably because his tone was also quite sadistic, and my eyes turned up into a glare.

"Fine," I said, pushing him away from the desk before going back to work and ignoring the laughter that was coming from my annoying coworker.

"It's amazing how _boring_ you've become since you started dating Miss Naminé, you know that, right?" And of course he brought up Naminé. Everyone in the building found out that I was dating the girl not long after the whole stalking incident, and each one of them had the reactions I was expecting. Well, kinda.

Kairi squealed, hugged her cousin and told us we extremely cute together.

Sora gave us a bewildered look, and a confused congratulation.

Riku rolled his eyes and muttered, "I still think you and Axel are secret lovers." (That was hard to explain to Naminé.)

Ellie just shrugged and went back to her work, much to my surprise. I would have thought that she would have gotten mad that I was dating Naminé, seeing as she likes me and what not.

And then there was Red's. He had the strangest response of them all, as he said "She's not right for you," then walked out of the room.

He seemed completely normal now, but that day was very awkward for everyone left in the room, and Red and Naminé haven't spoken at all since then. Every time the two saw each other, an awkward air would fall upon the room, and everyone evacuated it almost immediately; well; except me, because I was expected to do all the talking for the two of them. It was very, very, very annoying, and strange, and messed up, and I was starting to worry about both my co-workers, though Naminé more so than Red. If the two of them couldn't get along, bad things would happen. Even my father had noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere that surrounded him every time he had to come down to the lobby.

"Have I?" I questioned, after a moment of silence where I had contemplated every event that had occurred over the past few weeks. Red snorted at my abnormally calm reaction.

"Yep. It's really annoying," he alleged, moving closer to me again.

Rolling my eyes, I retorted, "Well I'm sorry. What do you want me to do? Break up with her?"

"Yep."

Well, that wasn't rude in _anyway_. My stare got harder. There was something strange going on with Red right now, and I don't think it had anything to do with boredom, but before I could ask him what the hell was going on, he leaned away from me, sprawling his arms across the back of the chair in which he sat.

"You guys are too sane here," he groaned suddenly, "It's driving me insane." Rolling my eyes, I went back to work, hoping he was going to finally give up on annoying me and either leave, or help, but when a nasty grin spread across his lips, I knew that something was about to happen. I became afraid. Very afraid. "Want to help change this?"

Day 1: Messing with the coffee machine

"I _never_ said I was going to help you," I muttered, arms crossing as I leaned against the wall. Red and I were on the fourth floor, the place everyone hung out during their breaks, so naturally, it was the place where coffee was distributed. I never drank the coffee here, preferring to have some that didn't have any chance of being contaminated, which is a good thing. Other people, however, did drink it, including, Ellie, Kairi, and Riku. Red too, normally gulped down at least one cup a day, but for the past three weeks, Red had been refusing to, saying there was something wrong with it. I didn't know what he was talking about at first, but then he informed me of what he meant.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Roxie dear," Red told me as he headed over to the counter where the caffeinated drink was always made. It took all of my self control to not punch Red for using that stupid nickname. "See, there's this thing about insanity; it's very important to a group of people. So, because this work area is no longer crazy, I have to do something about it.

"I don't care, I don't want to know, leave me alone," I grumbled, turning to leave, but of course, Red wasn't done.

"Now, there are ten different ways I could make a group of people go insane, and one of them happens to involve switching coffee from regular, to decaf. So, that's what I did." Red was grinning madly as he yanked open one of the cabinet doors, grabbed the bag of coffee from the cabinet, then replaced it with an identical one.

"Okay, so what are you doing now?" There was something that scared me about the look on Red's face. It seemed... distorted... creepy...

Red grinned as he turned around. "Do you know what happens to people when they're used to not having caffeine in their blood, then suddenly, it's there again?"

"Um... no?" Laughing, I began to back away again, hoping I could get away from the madness before Red really got me caught up with all these crap. I don't know how I get involved in these crazy things. First, there was the whole, "I'm going to kill my next door neighbor" thing, then there was the stalking incident, and now Red was going to mess with all the people in the office, just because he was bored. Why did this always have to happen to me?

Red smiled, heading over and grabbing my arm before I could escape. "Well, let's just say that some very, very interesting things happen. This is going to be so much fun!"

I figured that Red had done this once before, which would answer the question as to how he knew what would happen. Of course, I refused to ask, being too afraid Red would go off on some strange tangent about what happened.

In any case, things were certainly... interesting a few hours later, when the coffee had time to affect everyone who'd gotten some earlier. I had to admit, it was pretty entertaining.

The first sign that something interesting was about to happen, was when I headed up to the thirteenth floor to give a report to my father. Grinning, I nodded at Kairi as soon as I walked out of the elevator, and passed, by, but she stopped me.

"Roxas, Roxas, I need at ask you a question!" The tone of voice she used made me freeze in my tracks. It was higher than normal, pitchy, almost, and there was a slight amount of jumpiness there.

"Yes, Kairi?" I asked, tentatively, turning to face her. Wide, purple-blue eyes greeted me, and a smile was playing on Kairi's face.

"Okay, so you know how Sora and I are dating, right?" She jumped up from behind her desk as she asked this, and made her way towards me. Actually, I didn't know that Kairi and Sora were dating, though I probably should have because I believe I'd been told before, so I just nodded. "Well, I need your advice on something," she added, reaching forward and grabbing my hand. I had no idea what she was doing at that point, but it was extremely uncomfortable, and the fact that her warm hand was on mine made me think that Sora was going to come running into the room at any moment and mistake this situation for something else. Chances are, he would beat me to a pulp. "Well, you see, he's being a bit of an idiot-" oh, that was so abnormal... didn't she think that Sora was an idiot everyday?, "-and I don't know what to do about it. Do you know what I should do about it? Do you think I should do anything about it? Can you help me? Please help me! I don't know what I should do and whoa... what's wrong with me."

The woman let go of my hand and took a step back, holding her head in her hands. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Totally confused, I looked around to see if there was anyone else in the room, but there was no one, so I pointed to myself, in a questioning manner. When Kairi nodded, I shook my head slowly and replied;

"I'm perfectly fine. Why would you think I'm not?" She bit her lip, causing me to laugh internally. She was obviously confused as to what was happening, which was absolutely amusing to me. When I didn't get an answer for my question, I asked, "Are _you_ okay?"

Kairi glanced up at me, closing her eyes as though she were thinking about something intensely. "N-No," she stuttered, "I don't think I am. Everything's spinning, and I ca-can't think straight and... and... I'm going to sit down now." The woman stumbled over to her seat before she collapsed in it. "Um... will you go give this to Ellie for me? I think I need to drink water or something." I nodded at her, trying really, really hard not to laugh as I took the paper from her hand. So much for talking to my father...

Anyway, I headed down the the twelfth floor, taking the stairs this time so it would be faster. I knew for a fact that Ellie drank the coffee, because I'd seen her get a cup this morning before work had started. I couldn't wait to see how the always calm, collected, serious, haughty, woman would be acting now that she was hyped up on caffeine. Maybe I could get something on her so she had to help me...

However, I had a shock when I got to her office, as she was, well, normal. Sitting at her desk like absolutely nothing was wrong, but that was impossible. Her cup was still steaming next to her, so I guessed it could be a little bit possible that she hadn't started to feel the effects yet, but I couldn't exactly tell.

_Why am I so excited about this?_ I wondered all of a sudden,_ Maybe Hayner and Red have rubbed off on me..._

"Oh, hello there Roxas. What are you doing down here?" She asked when she finally looked up from her work and noticed me. Without saying anything, I held up the document Kairi had handed me. I didn't know what it was, but it seemed important, so I asked about it. To my surprise, Ellie smiled at me. "It's just a contract that deals with my working with this company. Boy are you curious today."

_Um..._

Ellie's normal reaction would be something like this;

"It's a form. It has nothing to do with you. Sorry. Get out of my office."

I guessed this was the way Ellie ended up reacting to the caffeine. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it worked... kinda...

"Anyway, Roxie," Damn, she used my nickname, "have you um... seen Riku at all today?" Riku? She was looking for Riku? It was almost as if she was trying to tell me something, especially since her face was now painted a light pink. It struck me as interesting that she blushed when asking for Riku, but I kinda of ignored it because it was possible she was just flushed from heat, or something like that. Especially since she added, "I need him to help me with something."

"No. No I haven't. Why do you need him anyway?" I ventured, taking a slight step back. The smile on her face was starting to creep me out.

"Oh, no reason. Sorry to bug you." Her voice was sickly sweet at this point, and it made me shudder.

"No problem." I waved before backing out slowly, and I closed the door.

"Scary, isn't she." Jumping, I looked up to see Red standing next to me, leaning against the door frame. "She gets all sweet when she's hyper. I don't know why, but she's always been like that. It's really, really, funny." He laughed, pushing away from the door-frame.

"Always?" It was strange how he used that word. I could tell that Ellie and Red were friends, and what not, but I was suddenly curious as to when they'd first met. So, I asked, "How long have you known her?"

Red looked to the ceiling in thought. "Twenty-two or so years."

What's commonly known as 'the spit take,' would have happened had I'd been holding a cup of water. But, I wasn't. "_Twenty-two years,_" I exclaimed, though in a hushed voice so Ellie wouldn't come out of her office._ "_Where did you guys meet? _When_ did you guys meet?" Red was only twenty-five, right? That means he would have known Ellie practically all of his life. And how old was Ellie?

"Yep. I was three when the... um... authorities, found me and brought me to an orphanage. Ellie was there. She's a year older than me, and we were both adopted around the same time. Our adoptive parents knew each other so we practically grew up together." Red didn't seem hesitant at all to tell me all of this, but I didn't have any issues with that, especially because I found out both Ellie and Red were orphans. That little fact was really interesting, and I wanted to know more about it, but-

"Axel! Roxie! You guys have got to come see this!" Sora came crashing down the hallway, laughing like a maniac. "It's Riku. You've got to see this!"

I became scared. "Hey, you can go see what's up with Riku. I'm just going to go home now. This is getting a bit freaky for me." I laughed nervously, then backed away slowly.

Day 2: To check for drugs

I yawned widely as I walked into the building, tired from lack of sleep. The absolute wonderfulness of unconsciousness had decided to evade me all of last night, leaving me completely, and totally exhausted. Of course, the fact that Red had decided to call me in the middle of the night to ask some random question I don't even remember didn't help much. I swear that guy was going to be the death of me. No, not just the death of me; he was going to be the person who ended my life and then buried me in the ground with a packet of what ever the hell he was asking me about.

"Morning, Roxas. You look tired today," I heard as soon as the door closed behind me, and I looked up to see Naminé sitting in her normal spot behind the front desk, a beautiful smile on her face. Laughing lightly, I headed over to her.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep last night," I replied, rolling my eyes. That was a complete and total understatement.

Naminé groaned. "Don't tell me that you drank the coffee yesterday...," she said, giggling in an extremely cute manner, which of course, made me abnormally happy. Have I mentioned how annoying my hormones are today?

Laughing, I replied, "What? No! I never drink the coffee. Besides, I... kinda knew about it before hand. A privilege of working with the culprit." Naminé grinned at me, leaning forward slightly as she placed her chin in her hands.

"Looks like you and Axel are finally getting along," she giggled, though there was a hint of sadness in her voice, and she looked down at her lap. "I'm happy for you."

"Nami, is there something going on between you and that red-head?" I asked suddenly, grabbing her hand gently. "You guys... well, you two have been acting strange lately." Naminé flinched, pulling back from me, and she looked to the side, like she was searching for something, even though I knew for a fact there was nothing new in the room. After a time, Naminé laughed nervously, before standing up.

"Roxas...," her laughter stopped as she looked up at me. "What do you... what do you think of Ax-"

_"Roxas Strife, I swear if I don't see you in my office in the next five seconds, you're going to regret it!"_

I froze as Ellie's voice resonated throughout the lobby room. She did not sound very happy. Not happy at all, but still kinda... I don't know, flirty? It was weird.

However, her threat sounded completely and totally serious, so without another seconds hesitation, I waved goodbye to Naminé, and dashed up the stairs, figuring that would be much faster. I hadn't been working with these people for very long, but I guessed getting on Ellie's bad list didn't really sound like a good idea.

* * *

The first thing I noticed when I burst into Ellie's office was how um... odd, the scene was. But that wasn't anything new. Every time I'd entered the lawyer's office, something strange was going on in there, whether it be Ellie screaming at Red about a paper I didn't know anything about, Riku acting all emo in the corner, or crazy Ellie scolding my dad for acting anti-social during a meeting (that was a weird day). Of course, there were also all the weird times I'd walked in on Riku flirting with Ellie; holding her hand, sitting on her desk and taking a sip from her coffee, or that one time Riku had his arms wrapped around the lawyer.

However, every time I'd walked into the room, Ellie would hurt Riku, push him away, and act as if absolutely nothing had happened.

This time, however, there were three people in the room;

Red, sitting in the chair in front of Ellie's desk, looking bashful.

Riku, standing behind Ellie's desk, leaning against the window sill.

And of course, Ellie, glaring angrily at Red.

I had a strange feeling that Red had done something that was a legal risk and involved money, which would be one reason why Riku was there, but what did all of this have to do with me? Oh shit... it'd be very possible that it had something to do with why Red had called me last night.

"Sit down, don't speak. Yet." Ellie's voice was quiet, icy almost. I could swear that the temperature in the room dropped a good ten degrees. Not wishing to anger the woman anymore, I sat down quickly, glancing at Red who, for once, didn't seem to be amused at all. "Now," Ellie began, "care to explain what the _hell_ you two were thinking?"

Oh great, she's talking about the coffee thing. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved in that. Then again, I wouldn't have thought she would really mind, and what did that have to do with Riku being here? I had become very confused.

"Um... what are you talking about?" I asked, looking between Ellie and Red.

"Oh like you don't know," Ellie hissed, standing up. Next to me, Red coughed.

"Actually, he doesn't." Everyone in the room turned to look at Red. He held up his hands defensively. "What? Just because he was involved with the coffee thing yesterday doesn't mean he knows everything about my madness. I barely know the kid! Why would I tell him all of my insanity schemes?"

Ellie turned to face me, "Roxas, you know nothing about the checks, do you?" And that would be why Riku had been there. But still...

"Checks?" Nothing made much sense.

Red snickered. "You see, Roxie," he said, "I decided it would be fun to write a check for a thousand dollars, and put in the memo," pausing dramatically, he smirked at me, "'For Marijuana.'" I froze. Not just stopped moving; actually froze, like I was in a freezer or something. Red wasn't done, though, "Now both Ellie and Riku are pissed at me. Ellie because what I did is a huge legal issue, and Riku because now he has to fix all of this in accounting. Sorry, didn't mean to get you involved in this." Red let out a laugh and patted me on the head.

After allowing the news to sink in, I practically screamed, "What the hell?" I shifted in my seat, swatting Red's hand away, "You did _what_?" Sometimes I wondered what the hell goes through Red's brain. This was _not_ one of those time.

Red grinned at me. "Oh, don't worry. This is just number two on my list of ways to keep your insanity at a healthy level." I should have been expecting that...

"Axel, you have got to be joking." Ellie sighed, massaging her temples. "You have no idea how much legal shit you could be in right now! I can't just focus on your issues. I'm the lawyer of this entire company, not just you."

"Yeah yeah," Red snorted. "I've learned my lesson. Can I go now?"

Silence was never a good thing when Ellie was mad. I'd figured that out the hard way a few months ago when... you know what, I'm not even going to talk about it. "Learned your lesson?" she hissed after a moment, "_Learned your- _Riku, will you please explain to this guy what happens when they keep doing things like this?"

Riku smirked, crossing his arms. "Normally I would, but I don't really feel like doing you any favors right now. After all, you're not doing _me_ any favors." Man, this guy was annoying. Everyone in the room could tell that, though especially Ellie, who stood up and half turned to face Riku.

"Real mature," she told him, eyes narrowing. The accountant bent over in a mock, sarcastic bow, all the while saying;

"Why thank you."

With a light sigh, I leaned back in my chair and muttered, "She doesn't like you..."

This sentence... well, it was supposed to just be for me, and you know, I probably shouldn't have said it aloud because Riku heard me... and he got pissed. Really, really pissed. It was like some kind of demon had possessed him, as he stood up, towering over me in an intimidating manner. Shrinking back, I wanted to laugh nervously, but my voice was caught in my throat, making me unable to make even a small noise.

"Doesn't like me?" Riku asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "What ever makes you think that?" I said nothing, too scared to speak. Tall, muscular guys are very terrifying when they're angry. "Oh, don't tell me," he continued, smirking, "you think Ellie likes _you_, don't you?" I had no idea how he figured that out, but the silence that followed his words, was extremely awkward, like everyone knew something I didn't. With a slight burst of courage, I glanced at Ellie and noticed her roll her eyes, muttering, "Leave me out of this."

Feeling threatened, I stood up, though I think I was shaking slightly. "Maybe," I said indignantly, "But that's not what's important here. I just don't think you should keep bugging her like this. It's really annoying to the rest of us." When Riku grinned at my words, I knew I was making a mistake by saying these things. Obviously I'd missed some kind of important memo or something.

"You know absolutely nothing, do you, Roxie." I didn't have much time to process the fact that my nickname had spread ever farther, because as soon as Riku finished his sentence, he grabbed Ellie's shoulders, spun her around, and kissed her. Right in front of me and Red.

Man that guy was desperate, if he was trying to get Ellie's attention by embarrassing her. Trying not to laugh at this, I glanced over at Red, but rather than acting shocked, he rolled his eyes, before they traveled to my face. "Surprised?" He whispered when he saw my confused expression.

I had no idea what was going on.

After a few seconds, Riku pulled away from Ellie, and smirked at me over her shoulder. Ellie just sighed.

"What ever happened to keeping our work and social lives separate," she muttered, causing me to wonder what she meant by that. Couples were usually the only ones who said that... After letting out another sigh, she added, "There, I did you a favor. Help me." It was amazing that she wasn't even phased by the fact Riku had just been making out with her in front of her technical bosses. Smiling Riku placed his arms on Ellie's shoulders, keeping her from turning around.

"Okay, fine. Axel, you'll get fired," he told the redhead bluntly. Ellie pushed Riku's arms off of her.

"Thank you. Was that so hard?"

"Yep."

"Lazy ass." Was that affection I heard?

I blinked, confused at the way the two of them had been acting.

Red let out another sigh. "Alright, I understand, can I go now." Ellie looked at Red, then reluctantly nodded and Red jumped up, clapping his hands together. "Oh good. Let's go, Roxie." Next thing I now, I'm being dragged (again) out of the room by a laughing Red.

"What the hell was that?" I hissed once we were out of the room.

"Oh, you know, I wanted to keep my self insane so I-"

"Not that! I could care less what you buy with the companies money. If you want marijuana, go ahead. I'm talking about Riku and Ellie! What the hell was that!" Again, he laughed.

"Oh. Those two? They've been dating for the past four years." He paused, gauging my reaction, which I admit was less confused and startled than I though it would be. "What, you didn't know?"

Of course, it still messed with my world view just a tad.

Day 3: In accordance with the prophecy

I wasn't looking forward to what Red had planned for the third day of his madness. He wanted to be more insane? Well, he was making everyone else in the office insane. Me included. I really hoped that today he would give up on his whole, ten days of insanity thing, but of course, he hadn't.

"Roxas, will you hand me that paper over there. In accordance to the prophecy."

That's what he'd been doing. Adding the sentence, "in accordance with the prophecy," after everything he says. It was really, really annoying. _Really, really_ annoying.

"Fine. Now shut up about this stupid prophecy."

"Sorry, no can do. In accordance with the prophecy."

"Stop it!"

"Nope. In accordance with the prophecy."

Groaning, I grabbed the piece of paper and shoved it in Red's face. "Fine. Then stop talking."

"In accordance with the prophecy," Red muttered. That was the last straw for me. The guy would not shut up about this stupid prophecy and it didn't make any sense at all. So I did the only logical thing. I tackled the red-head.

Not smart.

We wrestled for a little while, and once again, I ended up wishing dearly that had a membership at a gym, because I ended up pinned down. This was getting old. Quickly.

"You know, I can get used to this. In accordance with the prophecy."

"Yeah? Well I can't. I have a girlfriend now. You can't just go and pin me to the ground whenever you feel like it."

"Aw, why not? Maybe it'll cause Naminé to break up with you. In accordance with the prophecy."

"You would like that, wouldn't you."

"Oh, totally. In accordance with the prophecy."

"Bastard."

Red just smirked.

Day 4: Religion at work

"And so, because of this, I propose we renovate the hotel in downtown Hallow Bastion so that it fits in with the rest of the scenery better."

Another boring day, another boring meeting. I wasn't paying much attention to the meeting at all, though I had a feeling I should. Well, at least I was awake, unlike other people in the room. Sitting next to me, or laying, more like, was Red, dozing off. Hopefully, this meant Red was done with his madness. Sadly, he wasn't.

"Mr. Lea, are you paying attention?" The red-head didn't respond, so I poked him in the side. He jumped up, and shouted something I never thought would come out of his mouth;

"Amen!"

The entire board room went silent, and Axel looked around the room, smirking. "What?" He asked.

"Mr. Lea, you know that the topic of religion is a touchy one in our company, so I can't allow you to say, 'amen,' here. Please refrain from doing so."

"Sorry." Red sat down, grinning madly. "Day four, complete."

Oh God...

Day 5: Skipping is a wonderful way to express yourself

"Riku, come on! It's been three days. Why are you still mad at me?"

Riku leaned back in his chair, pondering this question for a second. "Probably because you thought my girlfriend was flirting with you. Should I, you know, not be mad at you?"

"Yes! I didn't know you guys were dating!" I protested, slamming my hands on his desk.

Rolling his eyes, the silver-haired boy was about to reply to my plea, but froze suddenly, staring out the window of his office. Confused, I followed his gaze, and when I saw what he was looking at, I groaned.

It was Red.

Skipping down the hallway.

Smiling like a maniac.

Looks like day five has come.

I slapped my forehead.

Day 6: Diet water

It's the sixth day after Red decided to mess with the coffee, and he was still on his whole, "I need a healthy level of insanity" rant, and I was absolutely terrified he was going to do something stupid while we were at a fancy restaurant in downtown Radiant Garden. I really hoped that there was no way Red would ruin this whole deal with Leonhart Industries.

I shouldn't get my hopes up.

"You must be Roxas Strife, Cloud's son," the man sitting across the table said in a cold voice. "My name is Squall Leonhart, the owner of Leonhart industries. And you are?" He asked, turning to Red. Red smiled like he wasn't insane.

"Axel Lea, Roxas' business partner. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Leonhart."

Red was acting normal.

This could not be good. He was totally planning something.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a waitress trot over to us, a false smile on her face. "Good day, sirs, may I get you something to drink?" she asked, seeming a bit shocked by the strangeness of our little group. Squall was... different than most business men I've ever seen (other than Red, but that man is a different story) with his long mane like hair and strange scar slashed across his face.

The waitress was good at hiding her shock, however, since neither Squall nor Red noticed.

"Just water please," Squall said.

"Water." I said as well.

"Diet water, please."

_Oh._

_ Dear._

_ God._

_ What._

_ The._

_ Hell._

_ Is._

_ He._

_ Doing?_

He couldn't have just order "water?" He had to order "diet water." With a straight face too. There's something seriously wrong with my business partner.

"Oi! What are you doing?" I hissed at Red, but he just smiled at me.

"It's day six."

Day 7: To go

I'm not even going to tell you what happened on the seventh day of this madness. I'll just say it involved us being late, Red wanting food in a drive-through, and a very confused clerk when Red told them his order was "To go."

I'll let you use your imagination on that one.

Day 8: Going to Fiji

Okay, I never actually went to Fiji, but that's what it seemed like when I walked into work that day. The first thing I saw was Naminé, talking to Red, with a smile on her face, like absolutely everything was normal. Only there was sand scattered all over the place.

Oh to be rich.

"What's going on here?" I asked, stepping around the piles of sand and heading to the front desk. "You two aren't fighting anymore, there's sand everywhere, and why is there music playing?"

"Day eight of my wonderful insanity. I'm having a ton of fun with this," Red said, turning to face me, his sea-green eyes flashing with excitement. "Oh, I can't wait to see Mr. Boss-man's reaction when he see's what I've done to his office building."

"Um... my dad's already come in. He left two hours before I did."

Red's face fell. "Are you serious? I did this, he knows I did this, and he doesn't have any reaction? How annoying."

What's this? Red was pouting? How odd.

"I think he minds, he's just better at hiding it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to escape to the upper levels where there's a hint of sanity left." I smiled at Naminé before heading up to my dad's office. We had a date tonight, and nothing Red could do today would make me lose it.

And for the first time in the past week, I've been right about something.

Day 9: Intercoms and pages

"Last night was so much fun! Thank you so much, Roxas!" Naminé was still gushing over our date the previous night as she messed with the flowers I had bought her. "Are you planning on doing something tonight? Maybe we could go out again."

I leaned against the desk and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Where do you want to go?"

"Hm... I don't know. You should surprise me."

"Okay, I will then," I said before leaning in and kissing Naminé lightly.

_"Paging Axel Lea. Axel Lea, please come to the thirteenth floor." _

Both of us froze at the sound of Red's voice, wondering why he was paging himself. Then it hit me.

Day nine of his madness.

"Only one more day of this..." I muttered.

"Really? This is going to end tomorrow?" Naminé asked me, looking up at the ceiling with irritation. "I've been getting so sick of Axel recently."

Now I was confused. Yesterday, the two of them seemed to be getting along well, but today, Naminé was pissed at him.

Man, woman are bi-polar (And yes, I'm including Red in the category of women).

"Yeah... Well, I have to get to work before my dad decides to make us break up or something. See ya."

Day 10: Fries

"Axel, would you please give this to Riku? I'm kind of busy." Ellie asked. We were in her office, dealing with some kind of crap that I don't really want to explain. "This is really important."

"Would you like fries with that?" Red replied. Both Ellie and I turned to him, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, would you like fries with that?"

Right... it was the last day of this madness. Looks like Red was being a brat. Again. Poor Ellie.

"No, I would not like fries with that. What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, absolutely nothing. See ya."

"Wha-?"

"Don't ask." I waved goodbye to Ellie. "I'm going to make sure that... um... he doesn't do anything completely stupid."

"You still haven't learned his name?"

I froze. "No. I don't know why, I just can't remember it."Ellie let out a laugh.

"Oh, you will. Eventually."

I had no idea what she meant by that.

Day 11: ….

"Are you finally done?" Red looked up from his book, and over at me. Crossing my arms, I gave him an incredulous look, and said, "Every one's fucking sick of you right now, so yous should probably stop doing this.

"Oh Roxie," Red said with a sigh, "I told you there were only ten ways, didn't I?" I nodded, "So, that means there will only be ten days. Of course I'm done."

I wanted to fall to my knees, clasp my hands together and shout, "Thank God!" But instead, I ended up nodded at Red, and heading up to my dad's office, hoping that this would never happen again. Ever. In my life time.

Thankfully, it didn't.

* * *

Bet you guys weren't expecting Riku and Ellie to be dating XD If you were, then good for you, but I still find it amusing that Roxas had no idea. He's such an oblivious idiot sometimes... even more so later on when Axel- O.O Whoops. Almost gave something away there XD

So yeah, again, please review, and I'll see you next week :D

~Sunechirei


	11. Boycott the shampoo

I have sad new, everyone... I'm taking a long, looong break from this story. It has nothing to do with you guys, or the lack of reviews, but because I wrote 160 pages in less than 4 months and I'm really sick of this story... *sigh* So, this is the schedule for this story; nothing's going to be written for a while, but for the rest of January, and February, I'll be posting a chapter each week. Then, in March, I'm not going to be posting so I can focus on my original story, then I may come back to posting in April. It depends on if I have my groove for this story back... it'll come back eventually, so don't worry, but for now...

However, I'll still be writing. I'm going to be working on another fanfic of mine that isn't posted here that's completely serious and only for me to work on my description and flow, two things this fanfic seems to lack... *sigh*

Anyway, this chapter was interesting for me to write, but it's not edited. Now, before you get mad at me, I spent the last two days laid up in bed because I was in so much pain I couldn't move, then I was high on pain meds (prescription), so I couldn't write. But, chances are I won't be editing anymore of the chapters in this story until... well, ever. I think I found a beta finally...

So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, please review :)

~Sunechirei

Full chapter title: Boycott Shampoo. Give me the REAL poo

(Taken from my chem teacher, who got it from somewhere...)

* * *

Halloween. Every child's favorite day of the year, with the exception of Christmas and their birthday. It's a day where little kids get to walk around in costumes, in the dark, ringing the doorbells of strangers, and accepting candy from these people without question.

I find that to be a bit creepy.

I mean, what kind of insane maniac thought of the idea of letting their child roam around the streets at night and get candy from complete strangers? For all they know, those strangers are child molesters, or murderers, or psychopaths. Those children aren't safe out there! There should be some kind of law against this holiday, especially the parties...

"Oh come on, Roxie. The party is going to be a lot of fun. You should come."

And Red should be locked up so I don't have to deal with him.

"For the last time. No! I don't like Halloween."

"Roxie..." Red draped his arms around my shoulders, letting his chin rest on my shoulder. I blushed slightly, but not enough for Red see it. He would never let it rest if he knew that I was embarrassed by a simple gesture such as this. Of course, this position wasn't exactly normal between business partners, but then again, nothing was normal about Red. In fact, if it weren't for fact that Ellie had known the weirdo for years, I would have been convinced that Red was an alien from some random planet out there whose sole purpose for being here was to annoy the hell out of me.

It seemed plausible.

"Get off me. Go bug Sora or something," I muttered, trying to shrug Red's arms off of me. However, instead of his arms falling off, they tightened around my neck, pulling me closer to him.

"But Sora isn't as fun to be around as you are," he whispered almost seductively in my ear. So I elbowed him in the stomach. That got him off me in a hurry. Composing myself so that Red wouldn't know I had been completely and totally flushed during that time, I spun my chair around to face him, and smirked. He was leaning against the back wall, his arm across his stomach, and his face contorted from pain.

Serves him right.

"You have serious boundary issues," I muttered, hoping that Red had learned his lesson and wouldn't try to do anything else. But of course, I was wrong. I'm always wrong about things like this.

"You're right, I do have boundary issues," Red said, rubbing his stomach. "That's such a shame, isn't it?" I didn't like the sound of his voice. "Now, if only you weren't so adverse to my touch, this wouldn't be a problem at all." My chair was spun around before I could stop it, and Red placed his hands on the arm rests, leaning towards me. "Why don't we fix that."

The door to the office opened suddenly, before Red could do anything about it, and I heard Naminé let out a screech of frustration.

"Axel! Get away from him!" She yelled storming over to us. Red backed off, and I stared at her in shock. Never, not once had I heard her raise her voice like this. She stopped in front of Red, glaring at him, "I need to talk to you. Now." Red looked scared, but obliged, leaving the room without a word. I got up to try and follow them, but Naminé snapped at me, "This is none of your concern, Roxas."

None of my concern my ass. This was totally my concern. After all, it had to do with me, right? Once Red and Naminé were out the door, I jumped up and walked as quietly as I could to the door, hoping to catch some of their conversation. However, the two had disappeared, so I opened the wooden door, getting ready to go out and search for them.

"Roxas, why do you look like you're about to do something bad?" Right, I had forgotten about Kairi. Laughing nervously, I turned to face her, hoping that something good could come out of this. "Can I help with whatever you're doing." And something good did come out of it.

"Well, you see, I would say you can help, but I don't think you would be interested..."

"Does it have to do with the fact that the normal passive Naminé came storming out of your office, nearly dragging Axel down the hall?" I nodded. "Well, you're right, that doesn't interest me." I swear there is something wrong with all the women in the world.

I headed towards the stairs, saying goodbye to Kairi, but a darn obstruction blocked my path.

Sora.

I hadn't seen him in a while, almost like he wasn't really that important in the office building. It made me wonder how he, Kairi, and Riku became friends in the first place. They must have gone to the same college or something.

"Roxas, why is it that you're not going to the party tonight? It's going to be so much fun! And we all go every year. You _have_ to come. You just do. There's no question about it."

"Wait? Roxas isn't coming? How lame!" Kairi jumped out of her chair, and leaned across her desk, looking at me expectantly. "You really should come. If you don't you'll be shunned by the rest of us."

I doubted that Kairi was exaggerating. It wasn't like her to exaggerate on certain things, this being one of them. Well, unless she's high on caffeine, but she wasn't at that moment. I hoped. It would be so annoying if she was, but it was just like Red to do something so annoying again…

"Look," I began, backing away from the couple, "I don't like Halloween. I never really have. Sorry, but I don't want to-"

"Too bad. You're coming, whether you like it or not." Sora grinned, causing my anger and frustration to rise even more than it already was. I stormed past him, snapping;

"Shouldn't you be doing your job? Your break doesn't start for another two hours." Sora cringed at my words and started muttering to himself, but I didn't stop to hear what he said, as I wanted to know why Naminé and Red were fighting. That was more important than what the brown haired teen had muttered about me. However, before I could even get to the stairs, the door burst open and Naminé stormed in.

She stopped before she hit me, and looked up, tears in her eyes.

"Nami! Are you okay?" I asked. She shook her head, but didn't say anything. "What is going on?"

"It's nothing, Roxas. Just leave me alone." I wanted to say something else, but Kairi's hand on my shoulder stopped me. Glancing back at her, I saw that she was shaking her head, telling me not to push it.

"Come on, Nami, let's go get some coffee or something."

The two girls walked out of the room before I could say anything, leaving me alone with Sora.

The hyped up young man walked over to Kairi's desk, jumped up on it and said, "Man, you cause a lot of drama."

"Excuse me?" I had no idea what he was talking about. Me? Cause drama? Never in my life have I been involved in such a thing (unless you count Hayner's crap).

"Wow, you haven't noticed the whole thing between Naminé and Axel?"

This guy was kind of an idiot. I just asked Naminé what was going on, didn't I? And I was trying to chase after them until Sora decided to stop me and ask why I wasn't attending the stupid Halloween party. How would I not have noticed what was going on?

"Of course I did. Why do you think I was-"

"Yeah, but do you know _what _they're arguing about?"

"No... do you know?"

"Of course I know. Everyone knows. Well, except for you, anyway."

Great. I'm a topic of gossip in the office. Just what I wanted. I swear that this place is just like high school. Except that I'm actually involved in the madness this time. Usually, I avoided drama and gossip like it was the plague, cuz if you think about it, it kind of is a plague. "What do you mean, 'everyone knows?' Everyone knows what?"

Sora pondered this question for a moment, and my irritation rose even higher. "Just tell me!" I hissed, taking a threatening step forward.

"Okay, I wi-"

"Well Roxie, it's settled. You're coming to my party tomorrow night."

I flinched, irritated not only by the sound of Red's voice, but because of the fact that he had interrupted Sora when he was about to tell me _what the hell was going on_! You know, I don't get why I'm always the one out of the loop. I mean, I've been working here for five months and the others act like I'm just a kid who knows nothing about life and is completely unobservant. Neither of which are true.

"What do you mean by that. I never said I would go."

"Yeah, well, your girlfriend did."

"What?"

Silence. Why are there always awkward silences? It's starting to get on my nerves. That's a lie. It started to get on my nerves when I started working here.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not very happy working here.

"Naminé. Your girlfriend. She said you should go. So you're going. Okay?"

No, it was not okay. Why did Naminé get to decide if I was going or not? It's not like I wasn't going because of her, it's because Halloween scares the shit out of me. And that has nothing to do with her, either! I mean, I didn't know her when I was seven and she had absolutely nothing to do with...

Never mind, I don't want to talk about that.

"Helloooo? Earth to Roxie."

Sighing, I turned to Red, irritated beyond all belief. "Fine. I'll go."

* * *

It was five o'clock, and I was at Sora and Red's apartment, trying hard not to be noticed by the crazy people known as Red's friends. Or, I think they're his friends. I'm not exactly sure who any of them are, or that he had any friends. He seems like the kind of guy who sat in the corner of his classroom and didn't talk to anyone because he thought he was better than everyone. It just seemed to, you know, fit his personality.

I began to wonder what I should do here. I didn't belong, obviously, but I was also expected to talk to people. I think. Red said something about Naminé wanting me to be more social, which is stupid seeing as all the people here are at least five years older than I. There was also the fact that Naminé and Red weren't getting along at the moment, so I highly doubted she wanted me to associate with the crazy guy's friends.

But here I was, waiting for something interesting to happen, well, more like not happen. I didn't exactly want to be here.

"Are you Roxie?"

Flinching at the use of my stupid nickname, I looked up into bright blue eyes that were staring down at me with interest, and was taken aback by his strange hairdo and bored look on his face. I nodded.

"Dude, Axel's told me so much about you. It's nice to finally meet the guy-"

"Demyx, let's not go scaring my _business partner_, okay?" Red's voice immediately cut off the dirty-blond haired guy. "He's still a bit of a baby."

"Business partner? I thought-"

"No, you didn't think. You never think."

"Hey!"

"Sorry cuz."

I got two pieces of information out of this conversation. One; This Demyx guy was Red's cousin, and two; Red talked about me to other people.

Okay, that's a lie. I got three pieces of info. The third was that Demyx knew something about me that I didn't, and I had a feeling that it had to do with why Red and Naminé were fighting. This intrigued me greatly, and I started devising a plan to get this information out of the guy. Maybe coming here wasn't such a waste after all….

"Hey, um… whatever your name is, stop interrupting Demyx. I want to hear what he has to say." I still couldn't remember Red's name, and I could tell it was pissing him off. He deserved it.

"Whatever," Red muttered, before reaching forward and grabbing my wrists, pulling me off the couch. I tried to protest, but as usual, I was too weak. Again, the gym. "Come here, Roxie. Riku, Sora and I are planning something and you should come help us." The irritation had disappeared from his voice, and he seemed to be completely ignoring my request.

"Hey! Wait! I want to-"

"No one cares what you want, Roxie."

_This guy..._

I was pulled through the crowd of people, despite my protests, and I really wished that Red would just leave me alone. I couldn't quite understand why he was always so... so... so attached to me. No matter where we were, he was trying to be near me, talk to me, touch me... it was kind of creepy.

"Hey, it's Roxie! You actually came!" Sora's bubbly voice sounded through the crowed, and I knew then it was too late to get away. The idiotic guy had seen me; and now, there was no turning back.

I...

Was...

Screwed...

"Yeah..." I managed to mutter, pulling my arm out of Red's hand.

"Come here, we have something to talk about," Riku said, pulling out one of the chairs from the table, and I was shoved down into it, but I didn't protest. There was really nothing I could do, was there...

Red sat down next to me, grinning madly, and I had a feeling that this was going to turn out like that day when Hayner decided he wanted to kill his next door neighbor. Of course, that wasn't _that_ bad, but still...

Before anyone could say anything, Sora pulled out a piece of paper that had interesting design on it. "This, is what we should do to get back at the adults who won't let us go trick or treating."

At that point, I had no idea what trouble Sora was going to be getting us into. The picture on the paper was almost unidentifiable, and I had a strange feeling that it had something to do with getting back at certain people.

But that wasn't very important.

"Why are you trying to get back at adults who won't let you go trick or treating? Aren't you too old to go?" I really shouldn't have said this. All three boys turned to stare at me like I was insane. "What?" I asked, shrinking back in my chair. Sora let out a sigh.

"Roxas, you're never too old to go trick or treating!"

"That's true, but that doesn't mean the people you go to will actually give you candy." Riku laughed. Sora nodded in agreement. "So, we've decided that it's time to get back at all the people who wouldn't give us any candy starting from where we were in high school." I did not like the evil tone that was Riku's voice.

* * *

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," I groaned. The party had ended an hour ago, but was I at home, safe and warm in my bed? Of course not. I was stuck behind a bush with three immature adults who were planning on getting back at people for not giving them candy. They could just go to the store and buy a few bags! It can't cost more than twenty bucks, and the three of them could certainly afford it. I mean, look who they work for.

Next to me, Red patted my head, and grinned. "Roxie, obviously you don't understand the meaning of 'revenge.' We can't just let these people get away with such monstrous acts! We must retaliate!"

"This is so juvenile and pointless. You could get arrested for doing something like this!" I hissed at him, moving away from Red. Of course, that meant I was moving closer to Riku, who still hated me for thinking Ellie had a crush on me, so that wasn't much better.

"Juvenile? Maybe. Pointless? You wish." I cringed at Riku's words, and tried not to grumble to myself at how _stupid_ some people could be. It was angering.

"I wish? I don't wish it was pointless, I wish you idiots wouldn't do it!" I tried to back away, but of course, they stopped me. They being Red and Riku. They wouldn't let me go to the edge for fear that I would just run off. Of course, they were absolutely correct, but I wasn't going to let them have the satisfaction of being right about something... "Come on! We're going to get in trouble for this!"

Red let out a sigh. "No we're not, Roxie. We'll be perfectly okay."

I felt the great urge to slap myself in the forehead, but I refrained from doing so, mainly because I didn't really want to feel pain, but also because Sora and Riku would probably make fun of me for thinking they were idiots. Red probably wouldn't say anything.

"Look, I'm not going to get in trouble because you three are mad. Halloween is not that great of a holiday. It's not worth it." I attempted to get away from them again, but of course, Red and Riku each grabbed one of my arms, keeping me from going anywhere, despite how much I struggled. It was amazing how strong the two of them were, and I couldn't help but wonder why I wasn't like that. Was it not in my genes to be strong or something? I mean, my parents weren't exactly the kind to be good at fighting, or strong in anyway, so...

"Okay, I've been curious for a while now, but why do you hate Halloween so much? Did you have childhood trauma or something weird like that?" Sora's voice sounded from the other side of Riku, and he glanced over at me with wide eyes. Memories of that night eleven years ago flashed through my head, and I shuddered, nodding a little bit. Immediately, Sora and Riku started laughing at me (I should have been expecting that) and Red patted me on the head.

"Oh, poor Roxie. Did the big bad werewolves scare you?" The mockery in Red's voice was almost deafening, and I ended up punching him in the arm. "Ow!" He shot me a glare, but it didn't seem to be exactly hateful, or full of anger. I found this to be rather, strange. But, I didn't have much time to analyze that, because Riku and Sora were now catching their breath after laughing extremely their guts out, and were about to question me about it. Not really wanting to deal with their questions, I sighed and started to tell them a shortened version of what happened.

"Eleven years ago, when I was seven, I went out trick-or-treating, like all the other kids in my neighborhood, and it started raining. I ended up taking shelter in the park near my house, unable to get home, and there were these two strange teenage boys there, and they practically tortured me."

I looked at the three guys, and was surprised to see Sora and Riku exchanging uncertain glances. "What?" I asked.

"What park?" Riku asked me, confused, I told him. "Were you dressed up as a strange soldier guy?" My stomach dropped. I had dressed up as a SOLDIER, a type of mercenary from one of the stories my mom told me when I was young. I looked like a normal military person, of course, even though I wasn't...

"Yeah, I was, wh-"

"Wait," Sora interrupted me, his jaw dropping slightly, "that was you?"I blinked, and suddenly, everything fit. Why it fit, I'm not exactly sure, but it did, and it was terrifying. Then again, I don't really know why it was terrifying. I was confused...

"Holy shit! It is him!" Riku suddenly exclaimed, jumping up. "That's so funny!"

These two were the ones who practically ruined my Halloween, no wait, not practically, completely ruined it.

"Dude, I had completely forgotten about that Halloween. Man, it seems like just yesterday... that was so much fun." Sora grinned idiotically and I felt sick to my stomach. Enjoying another person's misery seemed to be just sick. How anyone could like the fact that they tortured a seven year old who just wanted to have a fun Halloween…

"I know! Man, I miss being fourteen. That year was the best ever."

"Wait, what happened?" Red asked, looking extremely excited.

"Oh, well, you see-" Sora began to say, and I immediately tried to keep him from talking. However, I wasn't the one to get lucky enough to shut him up.

A deep voice was the one who interrupted him, saying, "What are you doing here?" My heart skipped a beat, and I thought for sure I was going to be arrested. Turning around, I saw a very tall man with long black hair standing behind us, an irritated expression on his dark face. I could tell that the other three were also a little freaked out, as none of us had heard this man walk up to us, and we were behind a group of bushes in a place with hundreds of dead leaves. There was no way he could have just walked up to us without making a sound, or, that's what I thought at least.

None of us spoke for a time, and eventually, the man sighed. "Get out of here," was all he said, and we listened. There was just something really strange about the way he said that, and the way he was looking at me, that was kind of strange. It was really creepy.

The four of us were back at Red's apartment, which seemed like a tornado had just passed though, and everyone but me was laughing their ass off.

"That was so weird! That guy just came out of nowhere and scared the shit out of us!" Riku managed to say, "I wonder who he was."

"I know, right? That's not something you see every day," Sora added, clenching his stomach. "Why is this so funny, anyway?" That's what I was wondering. I couldn't understand how being scared half to death was so hilarious, but then again, two of these boys were the ones who ruined my Halloween eleven years ago...

"Can I go home now?" I asked, crossing my arms in a sort of pout. I had tried earlier to just get in my car and take off... it hadn't worked very well.

Red stopped laughing and gave me a serious look. "No. Not until I find out what Riku and Sora did to you all those years ago." Man, he's persistent.

"Okay, let me tell you-" Yes, I was the one who got the pleasure of shutting Sora up this time.

"Sora, you better watch what you say. Don't forget, I control your job," I hissed, standing up and moving away from the group of guys, "That goes for you too, Riku." That kept them both quiet, and with that, I walked out of the apartment, to my car, and drove home without a second thought.

* * *

I was extremely tired the next morning. Staying up all night was not a very good idea, even if I did get some interesting information out of it. I mentioned the strange man to Mom when I got home (I didn't tell her how we met him, of course), and she had a funny reaction when I described what he looked like. For some reason, I couldn't help but think that she knew this guy, and that there was something she wasn't telling me and Dad, as he had absolutely no reaction to the description.

However, when I tried to question her about it, she paled and told me to go to bed, like I was some kind of child. It was angering, but then I remembered that I was eighteen and living with my parents while training at my dad's company... really, I had no choice but to listen to her.

Dammit.

So anyway, I spent the next four hours thinking about where Mom could have known that guy from. I came to the conclusion that she probably knew him from college, and they didn't get along, though how she could recognize him from just a description was kind of strange. Surely his looks have changed since Mom was twenty.

Anyway, because of this, I was so tired the next morning, that I felt like I was a zombie, and according to Naminé, I looked like one too.

"I don't think you could look any worse today, Roxas," my girlfriend giggled when I walked in the front door. I rolled my eyes and trotted over to her, checking to see if I had any documents to take to my dad. There were none, thank goodness. I really didn't want to deal with the anti-socialness of my father at the moment, and I was too tired to think.

"So," Naminé continued, "did you have fun last night?"

I looked up at her, surprised by the question, and shook my head. "Nah, it was really boring. Though I did find out something really interesting." Naminé instantly tensed up, looking at me with wide, fearful eyes, like something bad was about to happen.

"What was it?" She was nearly whispering, and I could see that she was internally praying for something. Weird, no?

"Well, there was this guy who we ran into when-" I froze, not sure if I wanted to tell her about the madness Sora and Riku were going to try to put me through with the help of Red, and in the end, I shook my head, "Well, it's not important where we met him, but when I mentioned this to my mom, she was acting really strange. Kind of like how you are now."

I wondered if the girl in front of me noticed the hint in my voice, my silently asking her if she was going to finally tell me why she was acting so weird recently. Unfortunately, if she had noticed it, she completely ignored the hint, leaning back in her chair, relaxing. The relieved look on her face wasn't very comforting, as that meant she was worried I had learned something else interesting, and for some strange reason, I had a feeling it had to with Red.

"Nami...," I began, but she cut me off with little laugh.

"Well then, Roxas, I suppose you should get to work now. Axel and Ellie are waiting for you in Ellie's office. Something about shoplifting?" I groaned, not really wanting to think about that insane day when Red had decided he wanted to video tape people shoplifting, and I, of course, got dragged along for the insane ride.

"Okay," I muttered, "thanks for letting me know..."

Heading to the elevator, I started to think about what had happened last night, starting with meeting Demyx. He was going to say something about me, something that Red didn't want him to say, something that seemed to be connected to why Red and Naminé were fighting all the time. It seemed important, but I just couldn't seem to figure it out.

Well, in the end I figured I was wrong about it being significant, and that Naminé and Red were just having a little spat about her work, and Demyx was being stupid, and it had nothing to do with Red and Naminé.

I couldn't have been more wrong.


	12. Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Has it already been a week? Man, time flies...

Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that you guys are one step closer to Roxas waking up and realizing something XD Oh, and there is total foreshadowing in this chapter. Keep an eye out for it ;P

I do, however, have something to say to one of my reviewers;

813 i love you 813: Really? I did? I feel so special now :D It really made my day when I read your review, so thanks :)

*Sigh* I'm now drawing ever closer to the last chapter I have written... I did have more written, but then someone stole my jump drive and I lost it... *sigh* Oh well... live and learn, right?

So, please review, as always, and enjoy this random chapter that involves blood, a fainting Roxas, and Count Axel :)

~Sunechirei

Full chapter title: "Gobble, gobble, gobble," the turkey said

* * *

_Last week was crazy. I mean, really, really crazy. Who would have thought that Thanksgiving would have been that messed up, even in my messed up family. I mean, my parents were arguing, I mean, really arguing, which is something I've never seen before, Red was MIA for the entire week until the last few hours of Thanksgiving day, and Riku and Sora dragged me to the godforsaken place they grew up..._

_ No, it's not as creepy as it sounds... actually, I think it was. _

_ So, anyway, I suppose I should start. It all began when I lost control of my goddamn letter opener, leading to...

* * *

_

"Fuck!"

I dropped the letter opener that had just sliced my hand practically in two. Well, not in two, more like it just left a large cut, deep enough to draw blood, across my hand, extending from the bottom of my pointer finger, to the top of my palm. It hurts a hell of a lot worse than I'm making it sound, and the blood didn't exactly make me feel amazing. Stupid inability to deal with blood. I closed my eyes a little bit, hoping that the nausea would pass if I didn't look at the gush of red liquid spilling out of my hand. It didn't work.

Damn.

"Stupid, fucking, goddamn, assish, knife..." I muttered, standing up quickly. My hand was hurting like hell, and I decided it would probably be best to get a band-aid before I passed out. I just hoped I would be able to get to the first-aid kit in time...

Bursting out of my office, I ignored Kairi who had called out to me, and stormed down the stairs, heading to the twelfth floor, where the only medical supplies in the whole building. My dad could be really, really stupid sometimes. Actually, almost all the time. The stinging in my hand was extremely distracting, so I stopped thinking about the idioticness of my father, and more about how I needed to move faster.

So, I dashed down the stairs, nearly falling down them a few times. When I finally got to the floor I needed to get to, I felt as though I were dying, which I probably was. I mean, no one can bleed for as long as I was and still survive.

"Hey! Roxas! I need you to-" Ellie called out to me, but, like Kairi, I ignored her, heading towards the random cabinet in the back of the building. "Um... okay then," I heard, but didn't think much of it. I was dying. Ellie wasn't that important to me.

When I finally reached the cabinet, I opened it and searched as quickly though it as I could, hoping that I was imagining the liquid dripping down my wrist. Every drop of blood that left my body brought me closer to death, which was not a good thing. Not at all. So, when I finally found the band-aids, I opened the box as quickly as my shaking hands would let me.

"Whoa! Roxie! What's wrong with you?"

I jumped when Red called out my name, and accidentally dropped the box, spilling band-aids all over the place.

"Shit!" I muttered, bending down immediately to pick up at least one so that the stupid bleeding could stop and I wouldn't die. However, before I could get one in my fingers, Red's hand swooped down and grabbed the wrist of my bleeding hand, pulling me up as well. My face paled when I saw the state of my hand. Deep red fluid was slowly trickling down my arm, and the cut glistened the same color. I felt faint, but luckily, Red's voice brought me back.

"Uh, Roxie? You don't look so hot. You okay?" he asked me, and my vision cleared. Looking up at him, I shook my head.

"Blood...," I muttered, "I don't like blood." For some reason, I thought that maybe, just maybe Red would be just a little sympathetic, but when I said those words, a glint appeared in his eyes, and he smirked.

"Oh? Roxie is afraid of blood? Who knew?" I immediately regretted telling Red what was wrong with me. Nothing good ever happened when he got that creepy look in his eyes. "You know," Red continued, not waiting for me to give some kind of response, "those band-aids you got from the cupboard are way too small for a cut like this. If you really want the bleeding to stop-" He lifted my hand towards his face, and I wasn't breathing. "-you can just ask me to do this." As soon as he finished his sentence, lifted my palm to his lips, and traced his tongue across the cut, which caused me to let out a shuddered. Heat filled my cheeks, and I began to struggle to get away, but Red was too strong for me.

"What's wrong, Roxie?" Red muttered into my hand, "I thought you wanted the bleeding to stop. Does this not work for you?"

I desperately wanted to scream at him that it didn't, and he needed to get the hell off me, but is seemed that my vocal chords weren't working, so the only sound I did make was my breath being let out. I could tell Red was grinning, and he continued to lick the blood off of my hand and wrist.

And for some strange reason, it actually felt good.

Yeah, I mentally slapped myself after that thought. Yet I couldn't stop brooding over the fact that I wasn't actually uncomfortable with what Red was doing. Obviously there was something completely wrong with my brain.

Closing my eyes, I tried once more to get away from Red before the messed up part of me took over completely and did something I would regret, but this action just caused Red to tighten his grip on my hand.

"Oi..." I finally managed to say, though my voice was no louder than a whisper. Red smiled again, and; wait for it... I heard a loud clunk which caused my eyes snapped open. Glancing fearfully over to where the noise had come from, I wasn't completely surprised to see Riku standing there, his mouth curling into a smile.

"Why, hello there, boys. I just keep running into you at the wrong moments, don't I?" Riku laughed, reaching down to pick up the book he had dropped earlier.

My head was swimming, my heart racing, and I suddenly felt dizzy again. Red had let go of my hand, and I glanced at it, only to see more blood welling up in the cut.

That's the last thing I remember before passing out.

* * *

"…Roxie! Hello? You alive in there?"

I stirred at the sound of Red's voice, and opened my eyes groggily. I had no idea where I was, what I was doing there, and why my hand hurt so badly. In fact, if it weren't for the pain in my hand, I would have thought that this was just a bad dream, mainly because Red was in it, but also because I was beginning to recognize the room I was in.

Ellie's office.

_Now, how did I get here?_ I wondered, trying to sit up. Everything was blurry, and my head was spinning, but I desperately wanted to know what was going on, so I ignored those things and looked around. Red was sitting next to me, a worried expression etched into his face, and behind him, Riku and Ellie were talking to each other in somewhat low voices. I couldn't hear what they were saying, though Ellie seemed really pissed, and it seemed that Riku was trying to calm her down.

"Wh-What happened?" I muttered, but my words were slurred, so I figured that Red couldn't understand a word I was saying. Still, I couldn't remember what had happened to me, and it was kind of scary.

"Confused?" Red asked me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nodded. "Well, you got a cut, then muttered something about not liking blood, then fainted."

As I continued to nod, I heard Riku scoff from across the room. "Yeah, that's _all_ that happened…" I looked over at him, confused, but a wave of dizziness crashed over me, and I nearly fell of the small couch I had been lying on. Luckily, Red was still sitting next to me, and he caught me before I could get hurt.

_Why do I feel like shit?_ I wondered, pushing myself off of Red's arms and looking up at him. _And what did Riku mean?_ As I was thinking this, I couldn't help but notice how extremely warm Red was. It was extremely comforting, but the heat seemed to be tugging at my conscience, wanting me to remember something important. That something would probably be why I was in Ellie's office.

"Okay, Axel, let's move _away_ from Roxas before there's a law suit," Ellie muttered, shoving Red off his chair. The red-head let out a whine as he crashed onto the floor, but I couldn't exactly check to make sure he was okay, as Ellie was not standing in front of me now, her arms crossed, and a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay? I wasn't aware that you had issues with blood. Your stupid father didn't bother to mention that."

I couldn't quite figure out why she would need to know about my messed up weakness, but it soon became evident when Riku walked over as well, smirking.

"Seriously, Ellie, I don't think you need to know something like this. Roxas doesn't seem to be the kind to get in a ton of trouble like that."

Right. Lawyer. Legal stuff is her specialty. I tried, again, to stand up, and this time I didn't feel sick at all, until I caught sight of my hand and had to sit down again. Sure, there was no blood present, but the gauze wrapped around the small limb was a not so pleasant reminder that there could be in the near future.

I let out a shudder.

"Man, he really does have weird issues with blood. Why didn't we see this when he punched Axel in the nose?" Riku asked, leaning down in front of me. The thought of that whole issue a few months back caused me to grimace, and Riku laughed. "Come to think of it, I also walked in on you and Axel being all lovey dovey that time as well." He snickered before continuing. "I just have horrible timing, don't I?"

_Lovey dovey? What the hell is he talking about?_

I knew that the last time blood had been involved with me at this place, Riku and Sora had opened the door, witnessing Red pinning me down. If he considered that lovey dovey, then what in the world could have happened this time?

"Um… I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you guys are talking about," I managed to say with a sigh. I swear that Red let out a gasp of horror, but I wasn't really paying attention to him. Ellie rolled her eyes and started to talk, but Riku interrupted her.

"Let's just say Axel decided to be a vampire."

I looked over to him, confused, as Ellie scoffed and smacked her boyfriend on the arm.

"Stop saying that! It was only funny the first time," she said to him, and he answered with a "yeah, to you," in a low mutter, though he said nothing else after she glared at him. "Roxas, if you really don't remember what happened, then I suggest you don't dig into it. It might cause you to go insane."

That helped me. No, I'm serious, it did. There were only a few things that involved Red, blood, me fainting, and Riku thinking it was lovey dovey. Suddenly, I remembered everything that had happened from the time I cut my hand, until I heard what Riku said as Red licked the blood off of my wrist.

I was surprised I didn't faint again, though I know for a fact that my face grew bright red. Riku and Red started laughing, and Ellie let out a sigh, shaking her head in a sad fashion. "I'm leaving," I muttered, standing up as quickly as I could and heading to the door, despite the fact that I was extremely dizzy and wanted to just pass out. However, if I stayed, I would probably end up being teased half to death by Riku.

So, I opened the door and headed out, ignoring the protests of the two guys in the room, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ellie going back to her desk and sitting down, ignoring everyone else in the room. Such a strange woman, Ellie was.

As I walked down the hallway, trying very hard not to think about my hand, I heard footsteps behind me, and then Riku calling out, "Whoa! Wait up!" With a sigh, I turned around to face the silver-haired man, and crossed my arms.

"What? Come to make fun of me some more?" I snapped. Riku just laughed.

"Nah. It's not fun to poke fun at you when Axel's not around. I actually need to talk to you about something."

"What?" I was not really in the mood to listen to the accountant's plea.

"Well, you see, Kairi, Sora and I are going back to Destiny Island for Thanksgiving and, Kairi wants you to come help her get a few people we know move to Radiant Garden."

Destiny Island... I couldn't remember where I had heard that name before, and I knew it was going to bug me unless I found out. However, I had too many things to get done before I could go home, and I wasn't feeling well, so finding out where this Destiny Island place was, wasn't very important at the moment. Right now, I had to get rid of Riku, so I said, "Alright, but I'm confused about two things." When Riku rolled his eyes and waved at me to go on, I continued. "First of all, why are you telling me this if it's Kairi who wants me to come?"

"Because you were being a bastard and just ignored her when she tried to ask," was Riku's reply. I grinned, embarrassed. In my frantic dash to get a band-aid, I had completely ignored Kairi, thinking that what she was going to say couldn't be that important. Now I felt like a complete jerk.

"Sorry... I was kind of freaking out during that time," I said, laughing nervously. Riku rolled his eyes and muttered something to himself, which I didn't catch, so I asked my second question. "So, why am I needed to try and convince these friends of yours?"

He contemplated this for a second, tapping his foot like he was impatient or something. "I don't really know. And I never said they were our friends. Just people we know." Wow... Riku didn't even know why Kairi wanted me to come. That helped me a lot. Noticing my frustration, Riku sighed and continued, "Look, I know it sounds really weird, but Kairi wants you to come. And before you get any weird thoughts; no, she does _not_ like you. You should just come."

"I didn't think she liked me!" I protested, "I know that she and Sora are going out!"

"Didn't stop you from thinking Ellie liked you," Riku muttered before blowing a lock of hair out of his eyes. I stared at him with disbelief.

"You have got to be kidding me. You're _still_ on that? I _didn't_ know you two were going out, so get off of my back. Honestly."

"Sorry, no can do. I-"

"Riku, I need your help with something." I never thought I would be so happy to hear Ellie's voice. Riku looked as though he were about to murder me, but as soon as she called out his name, he calmed down a little bit.

"Look, Roxie, if you really want to know what's going on, I suggest you go talk to Kairi." That was all he said before walking over to Ellie.

"Um... okay?" I guessed that it would be best for me to go talk to Kairi about it, otherwise I would be kidnapped and dragged to the airport in a body bag, even though I wouldn't be dead, and most likely when we landed in Destiny Island, Sora and Riku would be extremely mad at me for whatever random reason they would come up with, so I would have nothing to be thankful for on this glorious holiday.

Well, that probably wouldn't happen, but who knew what they _would_ do to me if I didn't at least go talk to Kairi.

So I headed back upstairs, knowing that even if Kairi did beg and plead and I said I would go with them, there was no way my parents would let me, so I wasn't really worried about what would happen.

When I finally got up to the thirteenth floor again, Kairi spotted me immediately and practically jumped out of her seat.

"Roxas! I heard you fainted! Are you okay? And did Riku talk to you about coming with us to Destiny Island?"

I blinked, still kind of out of it, and replied, "I'm okay, I guess, and Riku kinda talked to me about it. He wasn't very informative about it, so he told me to come ask you." Kairi looked as though she were about to scream, but luckily for me, she didn't. "So... um... what do you want me to do, exactly?"

Sighing, she sat back down in her seat. "I have a few friends back at Destiny Island, and they really want to get away from there, you know? But they don't know anything about the outside world, with the exception of Selphie. You, on the other hand, have lived in Radiant Garden all of your life, and I'm assuming you've traveled like, all across the world, so I want you to come and talk to them about it."

_That doesn't sound too bad, I think._ "Okay… um, so how-"

"We're leaving in two days, then coming back the day after Thanksgiving." Yes! I could get out of this! My parents were way too obsessed with me spending time with them; or, at least my mom was, so there was absolutely no way- "I've already talked to your parents about it, and they said it was fine."

_Goddammit!_

"Are you serious? You went and talked to my parents?" I growled. Kairi flinched, and then let out a nervous laugh.

"Well, you see, Sora and Riku told me that if I didn't, you would make something up, like you're parents wouldn't let you go, so I asked them, and they said they wouldn't mind." Okay, my co-workers have become way top good at reading me. Well, with the exception of Riku, who was now completely convinced I'm I'm _not_!

I really didn't want to go to this place, but I would feel bad if I didn't, especially since I had no excuse now. I mean, this woman, who has never been mean to me, was asking for a favor, and it would be assish of me to say no. Hayner would probably disown me if he found out I was even considering not going. Even though it doesn't seem like it, Hayner actually cared about people, and didn't like to make girls cry. With the exception of Olette, but he had elementary school syndrome, so...

"Fine. I'll go with you."

Kairi practically squealed and probably would have jumped on me she weren't behind a desk. I knew I was going to regret this, but Kairi looked so worried about her friends, even though Riku said they weren't their friends, and I didn't know what Sora thought. I never saw Sora anymore. I wonder what he does in this company. He's like Red in the aspect. Always doing nothing, but still worked here...

I think it was about then that my head began to really hurt.

"Um... I'm not feeling very well, so I'm going to go home now...," I muttered. Kairi laughed and nodded.

"Okay, thank you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

"I don't see why this is such a big deal."

"It's not. I just want to know the truth."

"I've told you the truth!"

"Have you really?"

"Yes! What reason would I have for lying to you?"

"I don't know anymore, Teef."

"Dammit, Cloud!"

My hand was shaking as I held it over the handle to the door that led to the living room where my parents were arguing. I mean, actually arguing. Like, on the verge of screaming arguing. It was really scary. This was the angriest I've ever seen them be at each other, and I was extremely scared.

I couldn't help but think that maybe this would really get out of hand, and that the two of them might separate or something, and as I was thinking this, I realized that this might be why Mom was so willing to let me go to Destiny Island.

"Tifa, we should talk about this later," my dad said, and I heard a chair scraping. Scared, I jumped back from the door, not sure what I should do.

"But-"

"No, I'm sure that Roxas is listening to this, and he doesn't need to hear it."

As fast as I could, I ran away from the door and stumbled up the stairs that led to my room. I was still shaking horribly as I dashed to my room, making sure that Dad didn't hear me running through the hall. Nothing good could come out of this. Their argument was still playing in my head, and I leaned against the door to my room when I was inside it. Nothing, I mean _nothing,_ good could come out of this.

But my parents arguing were the least of my worries at the moment. I still had to pack for a trip I really didn't want to go on, but had to because my coworkers were very strange people who thought that they could make me do whatever they wanted to do. Sadly, I had a feeling they were right about that fact. I mean, ever since I had joined my dad's company, I had become a total push over!

So, anyway, I had to pack for my trip which I knew was going to be completely messed up, and yet, I didn't really want to. So, instead, I collapsed onto my bed and decided it was time to take a nap. Finally.

* * *

I have officially decided that I hate airports. Nothing good ever happens when you're in them. Absolutely nothing. Ever.

It sucks.

Especially when you're stuck in one with three people; two guys who think they're better than everyone around them, and a girl who seems oblivious to her friends' narcissism. It also doesn't help that you _don't_ want to be at the airport because it's the day before Thanksgiving and you've been practically shipped off by your parents to "help" a few people neither you, nor your parents have ever met before.

Man, there's something wrong with my family.

Of course, it doesn't help that my parents are fighting, so they probably just wanted to get rid of me for a while. Naturally, I wanted to know what was going on, but there was nothing I could do at a god damn fucking airport. Then, for the next three days, I'm going to be stuck in an island in the middle of nowhere... It's like Mom, Dad, and Kairi planned it so I couldn't figure out anything.

I wouldn't put it past them.

"Roxas, the plane's here, let's go." I felt Kairi's hand on my shoulder, but I didn't quite register what she was saying. I was too out of it from thinking so hard. "Roxas..."

"Wait... what?" Riku and Sora were staring at me with a strange expression when I finally snapped out of my little daze. "What?"

"The plane is here. We're leaving. Are you ready?" Kairi asked, stretching her hands out for me to take. Next to her, Sora growled and Riku let out a laugh, but I was still too out of it to understand why they were acting that way.

"Uh, yeah. Okay." I stood up, ignoring Kairi's hands and headed towards the plane. "Sorry. I'm a little, uh, out of it."

Kairi smiled at me, then took Sora's hand and led the man, who was glaring at me, towards the gate. I headed towards the gate as well, trying to ignore this strange nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong during my little vacation. After all, practically everything went wrong in my life now a days. It's like the world was trying to get back at me for some odd reason, like I was oblivious about something...

"You seem worried about something," Riku stated obviously as we were waiting to get on the plane. I looked up at him strangely, not sure if it was a statement or he was trying to be nice. For once.

"Um... yeah, so?"

"Just pointing out what I see. I don't particularly care."

"Well, aren't you nice."

"I know, I am."

They could build monuments to Riku's assishness. And his selfishness. And his narcissism.

I ignored Riku and handed my ticket to the flight attendant, wishing desperately that I this was going to fly by, much like the past few months had. Then, I could get home, and do everything I can to find out what was going on with my parents. That would be very nice.

As I boarded the plane, I began to think about the one person who I _didn't_ want to; Red.

I don't know _why_ I was thinking about him, I mean, he was visiting his family in Radiant Garden, and I was going to be thousands of miles away from him for the next three days. So why was my brain being so stupid! I mean, sure, the hand that he... defiled, still stung a little bit, and I still had to bandage it so I wouldn't faint at the sight, but that didn't mean I had to think about the tall, red-headed freak.

Then again, it was rather entertaining to think about hi-

_Why am I thinking this!_ I nearly screamed those words out loud, but I knew that it would be bad, seeing as I was currently sitting next to Sora, and he would totally make fun me for saying that. Of course, he would only make fun of me after interrogating me until I told him what I meant by that. Why do I always hang out with abusive people...?

_"Attention passengers, we are now leaving the gate," _a very feminine voice said over the intercom. I mean, really feminine. I've never met anyone with a voice that high and light in my entire eighteen years of life. It was really creepy._ "In a few moments, we will be taking off, so please, buckle your seat-belt, put up your tray table, put your seat in the upright position, and turn off any electronic device until the captain says it's safe to do otherwise. Thank you, and have a nice flight."_

Well, I decided, there was no point in freaking out about this anymore, so I decided to just lay back (when they allowed us to) and "enjoy" the ride.

* * *

_ I thought that this would be the end of my worries, that going to Destiny Island for the holiday would actually be fun, and that dealing with Kairi's friends wouldn't be that hard. I mean, Sora and Riku, though they were annoying to deal with, weren't that bad. I had a feeling that her other friends couldn't be worse than those two. _

_ Sadly, however, I was completely and totally wrong._

_ Life just sucks._


	13. Be patient

So, I'm supposed to have this chapter edited, but I was lazy and didn't want to go through and search for what my beta had told me to change... *sigh*

I guess this chapter and the one before it are kind filler, though you do learn a lot about the characters in this chapter, especially Riku, Sora, and Kairi.

Ugh... I'm tired, so this is all I'm going to say for the chapter. I feel dead... dead I tell you...

Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review. Thanks.

~Sunechirei

Full chapter title: Be patient; the people you hate will die eventually.

* * *

_Yeah, I don't really know how I survived my stay at Destiny Island. I really don't. _

_ Red; he's hard to deal with some times. _

_ My dad; same. _

_ But these people on that desolate island are so much worse._

_ Of course, when I first got here, that wasn't my reaction. In fact, I kinda liked it at first. Kinda. It's such a beautiful place... but those people... It makes me shudder. _

_ Now then, Destiny Island.

* * *

_

There's something annoying about landing on a gorgeous island at five in the afternoon on the day before Thanksgiving, and having the person sitting next to you think it's funny to drop ice cubes down your shirt.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought that Sora was eight years old.

So my first impression of Destiny Island wasn't exactly the best, though it helped that Kairi was pissed at her boyfriend for making me feel that way, but I was still completely shocked by the scenery that surrounded me when I got off the plane.

Palm trees lined the sandy beaches that golden from the sun's rays, and the ocean's waves washed up multicolored sea shells. Boats lined the shores, and children dashed around them as well, splashing each other with water, and getting into mud wars. It was a calm sight, a nice one, and if I wasn't so pissed at Sora, everything would be lovely.

"Aw, come on, Roxas, stop pouting. I said I was sorry."

Yeah. Sora did say he was sorry, many times in fact. But that doesn't mean I was going to forgive him. I didn't like the cold, especially not when it was being shoved down my shirt. The cold was something I tried to avoid at all costs, which was why I avoided going outside during the winter. I had a strange feeling that Red was going to make fun of me for that...

The four of us got our bags, and I tried hard not to regret this decision. It wasn't easy.

I mean, my parents were still fighting (I heard them again before I left), and as nice as this place seemed, it had an air to it that made me nervous, almost like someone was watching me, waiting to kill me. I think I was just paranoid, though.

Who knew.

"Roxas, you really need to stop spacing out. You're going to get kidnapped or something," Kairi said, poking me in the arm. I looked down at her, confused as to what she was talking about, before I realized that we were outside, and the two boys were clambering into a car I hadn't seen before.

"Oh. Sorry," I said, "I didn't realize..."

"It's fine. As long as you aren't completely brain-dead in there," Kairi laughed, knocking on the side of my head. "Now come on. Sora's dad isn't going to wait forever."

_ Sora's dad? Oh goody! I get to meet the messed up guy's father! _I had a feeling that if I had said that aloud, Kairi would most likely have slapped me for my sarcasm, so instead, I kept it to myself, trying hard not to laugh.

I followed Riku into the car, not exactly sure what to expect when I met Sora's dad. Possibly someone who could deal with the weirdness of Sora, and is stable enough so that he doesn't want to kill himself after hanging around Riku and his son together. I mean, I've barely survived their madness, and I haven't even known them for a year yet.

So, you can probably imagine how unsurprised I was to see a man with a tattoo on the side of his face, spiky hair, and a piece of bread in his mouth.

"Hey there! Nice ta see you guys again!" The man had a very loud voice, and I could immediately tell that that's where Sora got his loudness from. "And you must be Roxas, my son's new boss." It was very hard to understand this guy, seeing as he was munching on the piece of bread as he talked.

"Uh, yeah. That's me." I let out a nervous laugh, and glanced out the window.

"The name's Zell, and I'm gonna be your host for the next two days."

"Um... okay. Sounds good." I felt extremely awkward talking to this guy, and it didn't help that Riku was snickering from the front seat, and Sora was trying hard not to laugh at me. There wasn't much I could do in the car, so instead, I zoned out, trying very hard not to get caught up in another insane conversation with mad people...

Finally, the car stopped, and the first thing I noticed was how normal the house seemed. It was two stories, with a view of the beach in the back, painted white, and nice furniture was set out on the front porch. I was shocked by its normalness, expecting something much stranger if Sora had grown up here, but maybe Sora and Riku were strange by nature...

I opened the door to the car and clambered out, sure that if I hadn't been surrounded by people I worked with and a crazy guy who was the father of one of those people I worked with, I would have fallen to my knees and thanked God that I was out of that car and away from that Zell guy. My willpower was the only thing keeping me from doing so...

"So, why am I staying at Sora's house again?" I asked, then quickly added, "No offense," towards the brown haired man. He just shrugged, like he didn't care, which was probably true. He never did strike me as the kind who cared what people thought of him, after all, just look at the way he acted around the office...

"That would probably be because you would die if you stayed with my brothers," Riku said, "and Kairi's parents don't like guests."

"Um..." The fact that Kairi's parents thought guests were annoying (at least, I figured that's what Riku meant by that) just kind of flew over my head, because I had no idea that Riku had brothers. He seemed to be the kind to be an only child.

"It's true. I don't know why my parents are like that, but they are," Kairi laughed, "Sorry about that."

"I... don't... mind." I let out a nervous laugh, ignoring the strange looks I was getting from Riku and Sora. "So, what do I do now?" Kairi smiled at me.

"Relax. Well, if you can."

I didn't like the sinister tone in Kairi's voice. She most likely knew something I didn't (obviously), and that something would probably scar the living shit out of me.

Would I ever be able to just have fun? Just once?

Please?

* * *

Well, Sora's mom was at least normal. She kind of acted like my mom, only not as pissy. It was nice to see someone who wasn't crazy and messed up, though if I had to guess, I would say that Kairi's parents were probably the most normal out of everyone on this island. After all, she wasn't bad at all, and every strange quirk about her (like when she's high on caffeine, or when she's PMSing and tries to kill me for coming into the office too loudly) were because of Riku and Sora. Then again, the fact that she hung out with them was strange as well.

Anyway, meeting Sora's mom was practically the last typical thing I would see on this island, mainly because the next people I met were Kairi's friends.

There were four of them; Selphie, who I had seen with Kairi, Naminé and Ellie at the mall when I was "stalking" Nami, a girl named Refia, outgoing, motherly, and annoying as all hell, and two guys, Arc and Ingus, who were brothers, one year apart. There was another girl, Sara, but she seemed to be willing to do whatever her boyfriend Ingus did, so Kairi didn't care if I talked to her.

When I first met these people, it was when we were walking on the beach after a kinda lovely dinner that I really don't feel like explaining to you right now. Kairi and Riku had decided they were going to stay for dinner, so they were with me as well as Sora when I was dragged down to the beach.

"OhmygodKairi!" I heard the unmistakable voice of Selphie almost as soon as we hit the sands. Not seconds after this was screamed, a flash of yellow and brown came flying towards Kairi, nearly tackling the woman to the ground.

"Ugh... here she is," Riku muttered next to me, and then, "Ow!" as Sora punched him in the arm. I laughed at this exchange, then turned my attention back to the two girls who seemed to have missed what Riku had said.

"Kairi! I can't believe you're back! I missed you so much! It's just not the same here without you." It amazed me how quickly Selphie could talk. "And you two as well, Sora, Riku. I mean, ever since you guys went to live in Radiant Garden, we've all been bored! There are no more random fights, annoying competitions, and Ingus and Arc think they own the place now. You should come back and live here!"

Riku laughed at this. "Selph, there is no way in hell I'm _ever_ going to live here again. I don't even like to visit."

"Aw, why not? Do you hate us that much?"

"You? Not really. But, if I remember correctly, the last time I came to visit I was nearly killed by three specific people."

"Oh Riku, your brothers aren't _that_ bad. And they apologized for that accident."

Yeah, that news was a little shocking to me. Not only did Riku have brothers, he had _three_ brothers, and they had almost killed him. Quite literally. If I had to guess at that moment, I would have thought there was no way I would ever meet these guys with Riku around, though I kinda wanted to. But, of course, I was wrong. I did meet them, but not until the next day..."

Selphie continued to squeal about random crap that I decided I cared less about, until she finally decided to turn on me.

"And you must be Roxas!" She said with a large smile on her face. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Naminé. I'm so happy to hear you guys are dating, especially after that incident, when I was visiting Kairi, in the mall and you-" My panic level was rising with each word the brunette spoke, but thankfully, Kairi decided it was time to put a hand over Selphie's mouth, shutting her up. I should have guessed that both Kairi and Selphie (Ellie too, I guess) would have known about that whole stalking incident, since Naminé knew and they were there at the time, but it was still shocking that Selphie would start talking about it.

"Now now, Selph. Don't you remember the vow we made that day? What happened stays a secret," Kairi said, grinning at me. She removed her hand.

"Oh yeah! Sorry 'bout that, Roxas. I'd forgotten. Silly me!"

Yeah... I was screwed.

As usual.

"Wait, what's she talking about?" Riku asked suddenly, draping an arm around my shoulders so I couldn't run away. Suddenly, I was reminded of the way Red had so many issues with boundaries, which just plain old pissed me off, so I elbowed Riku in the stomach.

"None of your business," I hissed at him. Selphie and Kairi were silent, and they watched me curiously as Riku curled up in a ball on the ground. Sora, on the other hand, was laughing.

"Dude! It has got to be something good if you get angry about it. Now I have to figure out what it is!" He said as Riku muttered, "Was that really necessary? I didn't think you would mind, as you play for the same team..." Sora was ignored, but Riku's last comment earned him a kick in the shins.

I was not gay.

Sure, I got embarrassed around Red, but who wouldn't?

Sure, Riku had walked in on me and Red in a few awkward situations, but those were Red's fault!

Sure, I tended to get butterflies in my stomach when Red was near, but that's only because I'm afraid he's going to do something creepy to me!

And sure, despite the fact that Red did nothing but torture me whenever he was near, caused me to have many embarrassing moments, and has probably taken a few years off my life, I didn't _really_ mind being around him.

But none of those things meant that I was gay. Because I'm not. Anyone who says otherwise can just go die.

"Um... I think I missed that," Selphie said, breaking the silence that had fallen over us. "Oh well! Kairi, you have to come see-"

"Selphie! Have you seen Sara?"

I groaned. Another person who would probably make fun of me. I had been on Destiny Island for less than five hours and already I wanted to leave. Actually, I wanted to leave the moment we departed from the airport in Radiant Garden. This place was starting to give me the creeps.

Turning, I saw a boy running up to us, panting heavily.

"Hey Riku, Sora, Kai." The boy nodded at each of the people he named, and when his eyes rested on me, his expression turned into a confused one, then turned away quickly, facing Selphie. "I need to know where Sara is! She was supposed to meet me and Ingus by the docks half an hour ago."

_Who the hell is this guy?_ I thought to myself, _He looks like he's twelve._

"Don't get confused cuz he has a baby face," Sora whispered to me, probably noticing my confusion. "Arc is my age."

This guy... this baby faced guy who seems like a twelve year old boy... is twenty-four? I just couldn't believe Sora. That idea was too ridiculous for me to believe. How is a man in his twenties able to look so young? It's just not possible.

"Look, Arc, I don't know where she is. She took off two hours ago from my house, saying that she needed to get ready to hang out with you and your brother," Selphie explained to the childlike guy. "Chances are she got lost. That always seems to happen with her."

"I agree with Selph," Kairi said, placing a hand on Arc's shoulder. "Sara's probably fine. She always disappeared randomly during school, but always turned up a few classes later acting as though nothing strange had happened." Okay, so this Sara chick went to school with Kairi. That didn't prove Arc was frikin twenty-four. "But I'm glad you came to see us. Remember that guy I told you about? My boss' son?" Arc nodded, and I gritted my teeth. Just because Kairi told Arc about me... "Well, this is him!" Kairi exclaimed, pointing to me with both her hands. "Roxas."

_Aw screw it._

I gave up trying to deny Arc's age at that point. Obviously this guy was some kind of freak.

I heard rustling beside me and looked down to see Riku standing up, sending me a nasty glare. "Right, I'd forgotten about your little mission, Kairi," he nearly growled, "I think you should just give up on it. No one is going to want to leave this island." Man, I hadn't seen him this pissed at me since the day after I found out he and Ellie were a couple. I didn't realize that hurting a guy would piss them off so much.

"Oh, stop being such a pessimist-" Kairi began, but yet another strange voice cut in, breaking her off;

"Kairi, he's right." This voice was certainly more mature than Arc, and I had a strange feeling it was his brother, Ingus. He was standing behind Kairi, an amused look on his face, and a young woman standing next to him. "I don't want to leave, neither does Arc, or Selphie, and I have a feeling Refia would rather die than leave her father alone."

_She has _another_ person for me to talk to? Why did I agree to this again?_

"Um, guys-" I started, trying to tell everyone that it was really late and that we should be getting back, but I was rudely interrupted by a certain brown haired guy who really needed to learn when to shut up.

"Yeah, I agree with these guys, Kai," Sora said. "Living in a large city isn't for everyone. I don't even like it that much. I'm only there so I can work while going to college." I was not aware that Sora was still going to school. It made me wonder what he was going there to become.

But, I was suddenly feeling really nervous around all these people, so instead of asking Sora this question, I tried to talk again. I was interrupted. Again.

"Really Sora? You were so excited to leave this place five years ago. What changed?" It was the woman next to Ingus who was talking this time.

"Yeah, Sara's right!" Selphie added. "Why don't you like the city?"

"Uh... well..." Sora took a step back from the two girls who were staring at him expectantly, while Kairi and Riku just laughed at him. "I don't really know why. I think it's just too noisy and crowded for me."

I was pretty sure that was complete bull-shit that Sora had just randomly come up with to satisfy the two girls.

"Well," Ingus began suddenly, causing everyone to turn and face him, "I think that the three of us-" he gestured to him, Arc, and Sara, "-need to get going. There's a storm coming and we need to get to the smaller island before that and get something." Smaller island? That was the first I'd heard of one. I hoped I was never taken there.

We bade the three of them goodbye, and soon after that, Selphie took off as well, leaving me alone with the three people who had dragged me here.

"Well, that was a waste of time..." Kairi muttered. "Roxas, you didn't talk at all! How are you supposed to convince them to get away from this place if you don't talk?" Well, seeing as I didn't want to do so in the first place... the fact that I hadn't found the opportunity to talk was better than the time I punched Red in the face (well, the moment I did that anyway. Before and after that incident weren't exactly moments I wanted to remember).

"Well, I'm sorry, but if they don't want to leave, then I'm not going to force them to do any-"

"Ooh! There's Refia!"

Man, this girl was determined to not let me speak!

Kairi grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the beach. I wanted to pull away from her, but I was afraid I might hurt her. Well, I hoped that would be what happened, I didn't think I could stand being weaker than Kairi... Ellie, yeah, I could see that, but Kairi? She just looked so fragile, like Naminé.

Anyway, she dragged me down the beach towards a young girl that I looked a little like Arc, but not really... I don't know how to explain it. I looked behind me to see what Riku and Sora were doing, and was irritated to find they were walking in the opposite direction, obviously laughing.

"Oi, Kairi."

"Yes?"

"Riku and Sora-"

"Oh, just ignore them. They're probably going to go find Cid."

Cid? One of the guys on Dad's committee was named Cid. I wasn't aware that it was a common name, though it might be the same person.

"No, Roxas. He's not the same guy as the one on Cloud's committee. They're completely different people." Man, either I'm really easy to read, as Red always said, or everyone around me has developed ESP powers and are going to take over the world. "You're easy to read, and predictable," Kairi laughed as we finally approached Refia. I grumbled to myself about how untrue that was, but Kairi ignored me. "Refia! Hey! This is-"

"Roxas Strife, I take it?" Man, this girl was good. "I ran into Arc, Luneth and Sara not long ago and they warned me you were going to try and get up to leave again." Refia smiled in a mocking way. "I'm not going anywhere, Kairi. I know you, Riku and Sora were all jumpy to get out of here, but the rest of us weren't, and aren't. Please stop trying to get us to leave."

This was starting to amuse me. Normally Kairi got what she wanted, but none of these people were letting her get her way. I was half expecting the secretary to give up with a scowl and go home, leaving me to escape, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she nodded at Refia and then turned to me.

"Well Roxas, I suppose that's all I can do for now. Let's go." She turned to Refia. "See you tomorrow." Refia waved at us, and I was pulled away.

"Um... okay then. What was the point of me coming if none of these people actually want to leave?" I asked, irritated beyond all belief. This entire trip was pointless! If I wasn't so nice, I would have started yelling at Kairi for wasting my time and keeping me from finding out what was going on with my parents. I mean, sure, she didn't know what was going on with them, or that I wanted to find out immediately, but still, she could have asked me.

"Actually, I didn't ask you to come with us because I wanted you to help me convince my friends to move away from here."

"Okay well- wait, what?" I stopped moving, and grabbed Kairi's wrist to keep her from moving as well. "What do you mean?" So, she disturbed my snooping for a reason she has yet to tell me, and she lied about it? That bitch!

I wanted to scream this at her, but she looked up at me with really sad eyes. "Please don't be mad, Roxas. I was just trying to help you." Help me? Help me with what? What could she do to help me with any problems that I have, even though I really don't have any problems, other than my parents fighting and Red being a pervert. "You see, you've seemed really distracted this past week, so I decided to try and figure out what's wrong. I'm not a creeper, I just don't like seeing my friends act strange..." Kairi looked down at her feet and laughed nervously. "While I was searching for a reason, I overheard your parents fighting, something I've never seen before, and I had a feeling that's what was getting you down. I know I get scared and depressed when my parents fight."

So... she did know about my parents fighting.

Wasn't expecting that.

"I'm not scared, or depressed. Just confused. I'm fine though."

Raising her eyebrows, Kairi crossed her arms and shook her head. "Yeah. I'm sure. But anyway, so I figured that you needed to get out of there for a while, which is why I asked your mom if you could come. She seemed to know immediately what my plan was-" I wanted to laugh as every woman I've been around seem to be able to communicate telepathically, "-so she said yes."

"Then why did you-"

"I love Riku and Sora, but they can be really stupid and insensitive sometimes. I didn't want them to know about this cuz... well, they would probably make fun of you, which is something that wouldn't have made you feel better." Kairi smiled. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable here, but that's what I felt like I had to do. Kay?"

For some reason, I felt a lot better. I didn't like Kairi after this, please don't misunderstand me, but I had never realized how good of a friend she really was.

"Nah. It's okay. Thanks."

We began walking back to Sora's house in silence after that. It was dark now, the only light coming from the torches that lined the back yards and docks, and it was really relaxing. However, there was one thing that was really bugging me.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Yeah?"

"No offense, but why are you friends with Sora and Riku?"

I flinched, ready to be hit, but Kairi just laughed. "I get that a lot," she explained after seeing my confused face. "I don't know, to be honest. I mean, when I was little, I hated them with a burning passion."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yeah. See, I was actually born in Radiant Garden, but I was orphaned soon after I was born. I lived with my grandmother then, but she passed away from cancer when I was five. My parents now adopted me not long after that, and on my first day here, I was nearly run over by two boys who were racing down the street for a reason I don't remember."

"I take it they were Riku and Sora."

"Of course." It wasn't hard to imagine that scene, though I was a tad shocked that Kairi was born in Radiant Garden. She was just full of surprises today. "But anyway, I really didn't like the two of them because of that, and they got even worse during school. I was in the same class as Sora, and Riku was only a year ahead of us, so they were always doing things to get on my nerves. But one day, when I was about eight, I was kidnapped by some guy who thought I was a princess or something."

Wow. First Kairi originally hated her two best friends, then I found out that she was born in the city I live in,_ then_ she decides to tell me that she got confused with a princess and was kidnapped. What's next, that her father was a superhero?

"How did you get away?"

"Riku and Sora were the ones who found me."

"Where were you?"

"Over on the small island Ingus was talking about earlier. They stumbled on me by accident when they were having one of their competitions, and saved me from the guy by knocking him out with wooden swords. If I hadn't been so scared at the time, I would have probably laughed really hard." A calm expression washed over Kairi's face as she talked about this. I felt a little uncomfortable, like I was intruding on her life a little bit, but she didn't seem to mind telling me.

"So," I began, "you became friends with them because they saved you... sounds like something out of a story book."

"It kinda does." The two of us laughed at this, and we finally got to Sora's house. "Well," Kairi continued, "I don't envy you tonight. I have a feeling Riku's not going to go home..."

I groaned. Dealing with both Riku and Sora for a whole night might kill me. No, scratch that. It _will_ kill me. "You have got to be kidding me," I muttered. "Why doesn't Riku like his brothers? I mean, surely them almost killing him isn't that bad." Glancing over at Kairi, I saw that she was biting her lip, like she was trying not to laugh.

"Well, I could tell you, but I think you'll understand better tomorrow when you meet them."

"Wait, I'm meeting them tomorrow?"

"Yep. Good luck." With that, Kairi patted me on the shoulder and headed off into the night. I sighed.

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving, and it was going to be interesting.

* * *

"Please don't make me go. I don't want to talk to them."

Never in my life had I heard Riku sound so whiny, and I treasured the memory. Chances are there would never be another opportunity like this again.

"Oh stop being like that," Kairi snapped, "We've been absent from the last three parties, and we need to go this time." We were at the docks, getting ready to boat across the ocean to the small island Kairi had told me about the evening before. Apparently, every year for Thanksgiving, Riku, Sora, Kairi, and all of their friends held a small party at this island (for Christmas as well), which apparently Riku's brothers always crashed. Which would be why Kairi said I was going to meet them.

I was really tired, however, so nothing that was going on really seemed to matter to me. Riku and Sora had so much god damn energy last night, I could not fall asleep. Of course, it didn't help I was in the house of a guy I work with, and don't really consider my friend.

"Actually," Riku said again, his voice not whiny this time, but smooth, business like, "we really don't have to go, do we now?" I looked over at Riku and Kairi, and saw the silver-haired man rest his chin on his friends head. "I mean, they survived the past three years without us, surely one more year won't kill them."

"Oh my God, Riku. You're so pathetic! What would Ellie say if she saw you like this?" Kairi said with a roll of her eyes.

Riku seemed to be pondering this for a while, but I guessed he already knew the answer to the question. "Probably," he mused, "that I'm like a suave five year old who needs to learn I can't get everything I want."

"Exactly. Now, stop being so stupid and learn to deal with your brothers."

"I refuse!"

This conversation was rather amusing. Kairi seemed to be acting like she was Riku's mom (or sister, but I don't really know how a sister acts), which got me wondering where Riku's parents were. He had never talked about them, instead just complaining about his brothers.

It was then I realized how little I actually knew about the people I worked with.

I knew a little bit about Naminé from when we talked, I learned a few things about Kairi last night, Riku... well, I knew he hated his brothers, and I knew Sora's parents. Red... he was an orphan, I learned that from our little drive down to Hallow Bastion, but other than that...

And Ellie... well, she was like a mystery to me.

How weird was that?

I had been working with these people for months, kinda become friends with them, spent almost all of my time with them, and my knowledge of their life was extremely limited. But not only that, but they knew quite a bit about me! Of course, they did work for my father, which meant they knew my parents, and I was born in Radiant Garden, so my entire life revolves around that place, and of course, my best friend always bothered me when I was at work, so it's not that surprising that they know a few things about me. But still...

"Hey guys, the boat's here. Let's go." Sora's voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked out to the calm waters to see a motor boat heading towards us rather quickly. Ingus was the one driving the boat, and he seemed to be rather content in doing so.

"So..." I started to say, "what exactly should I do when I get there? I barely know any of these people."

Riku patted me on the back. "I don't know. Good luck."

"Oh, thanks."

He was probably trying to get back at me for God knows what reason now. That guy could hold grudges for a very long time...

When the boat finally arrived, we climbed into it with Ingus greeting us, a smile on his face.

"Nice to see you guys aren't taking off this year," He said with a laugh.

Next to me, Sora rolled his eyes. "To take off we have to actually be at the island in the first place."

"True."

Nothing else was said for the rest of the ride to the small island, which I was thankful for. It gave me time to think about how I was going to deal with all these people.

Sara and Refia: Easy enough. They seemed to be nice girls who were normal and spent a lot of time to their selves.

Arc and Ingus: A little more work. I might have to actually talk to these people, but it seems they are like Sara and Refia; simple.

Selphie: This was going to be my issue. Truthfully, the girl scared the crap out of me. I never knew what she was going to do next. Like Red.

I closed my eyes when I thought of Red. You'd think that after being away from him for a few days would be nice, and I wouldn't have any thoughts about this guy, but no. I seemed to be missing him.

Damn.

Finally, we reached the island, and I was kind of shocked by the look of the island. There were many small buildings, and bridges, and all of them seemed to be built by kids, made of plywood and nails. But the structures seemed natural, like they were supposed to be there, blending into the trees and brush in a rough way. It amazed me how well they were built, and if it wasn't so kid looking, I would have thought professional contractors had come over here and spent a few years on it.

"Um," I began, climbing out of the boat, "who built all this?" I looked down at the boat and reached out my hand to help Kairi out. "It looks to... well, complex to have been built by you guys. No offense." The red-headed girl took my hand, shooting me a grateful look, then replied;

"Well, it started with Riku's brothers-" Riku snorted from behind Kairi, pushing past her and muttering something, probably about the men Kairi had just mentioned, "-and we joined them after a few years, taking over the projects."

"Ah," I said, continuing to observe the scenery around me.

"You seem very excited."

"Hm..." I wasn't really paying attention to what Kairi was saying to me, and I hardly even noticed when Sora said something that I assumed was mean because he and Riku started laughing, because I saw three people who I had never seen before, but I immediately who they were.

Silver hair, creepy blue eyes; there was no doubt they were Riku's brothers. They looked very much alike, and they seemed... normal, actually. Completely and totally normal as they stood around, chatting with some of the others. I was internally laughing at how stupid Riku had been acting earlier. I mean, these guys couldn't be that bad. Then again, Riku and Sora seemed completely normal when they dealt with people they didn't work with or didn't know very well... it was very possible that Riku's brothers were like that as-

"Little Riku! You're home!"

A flash of silver passed by me, and next thing I know, Riku has been tackled by a guy at least four inches shorter than him. It was one of the guys with silver hair, the shortest at that, and he seemed to be... um... well... I have no idea how to explain it really. Drunk, maybe?

"I thought for sure that you hated us for what happened last time!"

The look on Riku's face was absolutely priceless, and it took all of my will power not to laugh. I mean, seriously, he looked disgusted, irritated, and angry, all at the same time.

"Kadaj, get the hell off me," my co-worker hissed, pushing his brother away. "I'm extremely pissed at you guys. But these two-" he jerked his thumb over at Kairi and Sora, "-dragged me here. So leave me alone."

"This isn't fair! Loz, out little brother is being mean!" Kadaj whined, looked back at the other two. The man with short hair looked over and grunted, but said nothing. The other one, however, glanced over at us with a smile, but that smile soon faded. He flicked a strand of his silver hair over his shoulder, and strode over to us. An evil aura seemed to be surrounding the man as he walked, and Riku started to freak out.

"Oh fuck! Get me the hell away from here!" Riku turned around and tried to run to the boat, but was stopped by Kadaj.

"What's wrong, Riku? Yazoo isn't scary," he cooed, a hint of sadistic humor lingering in his voice. "You have no reason to run."

I backed away from the three silver-haired men, and poked Sora in the side.

"So, what happened the last time you guys were here, and why is Riku so afraid of... that one. I mean, he can deal with Ellie when she's really mad. Surely that guy can't be worse."

"Yeah, Ellie is way worse than Yazoo, by about a thousand times, but Ellie tends to calm down when Riku's around. Plus he's taller, and stronger than she is, plus Riku has ways to shut her up. None of those things are true about Riku and his brothers," Sora explained. "Plus, the three of them are triplets, so they always team up against poor Riku." Shaking his head, Sora began to walk towards the beach.

"Uh... okay, but what about the incident-"

"That, is none of your concern."

Yeah... Every time I asked about "the incident," I'm told it's none of my business and that I would be better off without knowing. That just made me want to know ever more.

"Whoa! Yazoo, what the hell are you talking about!" Riku's voice was laced with fear, intriguing me. It was like when he was acting like a whiny baby, but this time, I knew that something interesting was going to happen.

"You're hair. It's longer than mine now." Sora and I stopped moving, and turned around with interest.

"Ooh, Kairi's going to hate missing this," Sora muttered to me. I nodded, though not sure why she would hate missing whatever was going to happen. She had already taken off to talk to her friends, and I debated calling out to her, but Riku's third brother, Loz, had come over, his eyes glinting with something that I thought was revenge, but the aura around him was so evil, my voice got caught in my throat.

"Hey, no. You get back! All of you, get away from me."

I watched, somewhat horrified, as Yazoo pulled out a pair of scissors.

"Um... what are they going to do?"

"No idea, but I have a feeling it's going to be funny."

* * *

Riku was sulking in the corner. It was like the very first time I met him, only this time we were in _his_ office, and his hair was really, really, really short.

And Red wasn't there. It was just me, Sora, and an emo Riku.

See, while we were at the Thanksgiving party, Riku's brothers decided as punishment for not showing up for a couple of years, they were going to cut his hair, which had gotten longer than Yazoo's. I don't know why that was relevant, but Kadaj said that was their reasoning. The three of them were actually really nice guys, surprisingly, but they were just a little insane around their baby brother. The thought made me laugh.

"Shut up, Roxie. This isn't funny," Riku mumbled. "They cut my hair. I haven't cut my hair since I started college!"

"Yeah, I could tell." Riku growled at me, but let it go after that. After his hair had been cut, Riku had bailed from the rest of the party, and we didn't see him at all until the next day, when we left Destiny Island, but even then he didn't speak until we landed. Kairi and Sora were worried about him, but it just made me laugh. I mean, Riku's hair had reached halfway down his back for the entire time I'd known him, and now, by force, it had been cut to be about as long as my father's, which wasn't very long.

And the fact that he was sulking made the amusement all that much sweeter. I considered this to be the revenge for all the times Riku has made fun of me.

Finally.

"So," I said nonchalantly, "when is Ellie going to get here? Don't we need to talk to her?"

"How am I supposed to know? Just because I'm dating the woman doesn't mean I know where she is every minute of every days!" Riku snapped, glaring at me. "Do you know where Naminé is all the time? Or Axel? Huh? Do you?"

I leaned back as far as I could, and next to me, Sora laughed. "Calm down Riku. He was just asking. You don't have to freak out on-"

"Riku?" The sound of Ellie's voice interrupted Sora, and all three of us turned towards the doorway where the brown-haired woman was standing. Her eyes were wide, scared almost, though I figured that was actually shocked, and she was pointing at Riku. "What happened to your hair?"

Riku let out a nervous laugh. "About that..." He walked towards Ellie, "Remember the brothers I told you about?" he asked, placing one hand on Ellie's shoulder. I watched, amused, curious to know what was going to happen."

"Yes..."

"Well, they went kind of psycho and-"

"Cut your hair?"

"Yeah."

Sora leaned towards me. "This is going to be hilarious. I wouldn't miss this for anything." He laughed quietly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, "What's going to happen?"

"Who knows. It's Ellie."

"Ah."

The two of us watched with interest as Ellie brushed Riku's hand off her shoulder and took a step back. It was then I noticed Red standing behind her, his eyes also wide, but with amusement. However, before he could say anything, Ellie took another step back.

"Alright then. I'm just going to go to my office. Kay?" She laughed nervously before taking off down the hall, leaving a dumbfounded Riku to be laughed at by me and Sora. I figured Red would have joined in, but he still just stood there.

"Aw, poor Riku," he said, patting the silver-haired man on the head. "Looks like Ellie was just dating you for your long hair."

"Oh shut up."

* * *

_ Okay, so maybe I exaggerated a little bit about everything that happened to me while I was on my little vacation. The people weren't that bad (other than Riku's brothers), and I certainly learned a few interesting things. Then there was Riku's hair getting cut, which was absolutely priceless and will be forever remembered by me and Sora. _

_ But I still never figured out what the heck was going on with my parents! When I got home, they were acting normal again, happy, actually. It was strange, but kinda nice. But, life continued like normal again. _

_ It seems that Ellie could care less about the length of Riku's hair, and the two of them were acting as though nothing had changed; Riku still flirting with Ellie at work all the time, and her telling Riku to bug off, even though she knew he wouldn't. Nothing bad every happened to Sora and Kairi, so they were normal, and Naminé was really happy to see me. Sadly, so was Red, and I had to deal with their nonsense about whatever they were fighting about. _

_ Yeah, things were back to the way they were before Halloween. _

_ I just hope they stay that way._


	14. Life's a bowl of punch

**Aaaaaaand here's chapter 14! Yes, I know, it's earlier than normal, but I don't feel like staying up till midnight to post this chapter, so... **

**Well, I have a few announcements to make in this author's note... you can read it if you want, but you don't have to. You might want to, of course, as what I have to say is very, very important. Kinda.**

**Alright, first of all, as you may know, what I have posted on this site is not everything I have written in this story. Want to know a secret? I HAVE 100,000 WORDS BABY! Just in this story, too. Plus, I'm at such a good part in the story :) I can't wait to get it up here XD**

**Second: I NEED A BETA FOR THIS STORY! Many people have told me they will, but when I ask them to help me, they either don't respond, or have too much crap to do. But if you're good at writing/editing, and you like this story, please, let me know, because I need someone to beta this who isn't a close friend of mine...**

**Third: All of you out there are writers, right? Or, most of you? Well, I have a site that I started with a friend of mine called The Onigiri Novelists. It's just a community for writers to get help, make friends, get rid of writer's block, etc, so if you want to join, the link is on my profile page :) Please join!**

**And finally, I need to know something. First, the next chapter of this story is over 20 pages long. I was wondering, do you want me to split it two chapters, or is one chapter sufficient for you guys? Oh! Nearly forgot. On Monday, I'm going to be posting a one shot for Valentine's day :) It's going to be about Riku and Ellie, so if you guys like that pairing, then you should read it :P It doesn't take place in Elephant though, and it is going to be rated M, so...**

**Anyway, enough about my rambling and onto the epicness that is Roxas getting drunk :P As always, please review (though I know you won't) and check out my poll! Thanks!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: Life's a bowl of punch; go ahead and spike it**

* * *

"Axel, please tell me you aren't planning to do something to Roxas tonight," Ellie nearly begged, leaning against the wall, facing her friend. Her narrowed golden eyes were complimented by the silver, floor length silk dress that hugged her body, and light brown bangs that were slightly messy, but at the same time neat. The rest of her hair fell in tiny pieces onto her shoulders, though the bulk was pulled back into a tight bun. She seemed to be glaring at Axel, but there was a hint of amusement about her.

Axel let out a laugh, grinning as he turned to face his best friend. "What ever do you mean by this, dear Ellie," he cooed, pushing back his own fiery red hair, cut shorter just for this occasion.

All Ellie could do was roll her eyes at Axel. "Please, your little obsession with him hasn't gone unnoticed by anyone in the company," Axel raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms, and Ellie sighed. "I mean, no one other than Roxas has missed out on the fact you're totally in love with him. This party is the perfect time to do something to that poor boy," Ellie told him, pushing herself away from the wall. "Now, tell me you don't have anything planned."

A large hand came down to rest on Ellie's head, as Axel messed up her hair a bit. She swatted his hand away, only to see that his other arm was reaching into the dark coat that he wore. Slowly, he pulled out a small, glass bottle, a smirk on his face, and his eyes dark and mischievous.

"Of course I have something planned, dear Ellie. I always have something planned."

"Oh god, that's alcohol, isn't it," Ellie groaned, nearly slapping herself on the forehead.

"Hell yeah baby," Axel replied, shaking the bottle so the liquid swished around inside. "Nothing but pure vodka in this baby."

"Don't expect me to come to your funeral."

"Wasn't planning on it."

With another laugh, Axel pocketed his alcohol and waved goodbye to Ellie, who just rolled her eyes. As quickly as he could, Axel headed into the heart of the crowd that had congregated in the middle of the dance floor, searching desperately for the only other person he could stand being around, though at the same time, the only person Axel couldn't be near for long, without fear of doing something he would regret.

Roxas.

The one person Axel wanted to see everyday. The one guy that could make Axel smile, no matter what was said during their conversations; the _one_ person in that work who actually treated Axel the way they felt about him, not just what they thought he wanted to be treated like. For seven months, Axel had been around this guy, and the crush that had started out small, turned into something much bigger, something Axel couldn't always control. It seemed like longer, maybe a year, but no. Only half a year since Roxas had joined the company.

And during that time, Roxas had done nothing but drive Axel insane at how incredibly _stupid_ he was. For seven months; seven months, Axel had made it completely obvious he was interested in Roxas. Seven months! But did the teen ever seem to notice?

"What am I going to do about you, Roxie…," Axel muttered as his eyes landed on his co-worker. Nearly skipping, Axel took off towards him, extremely excited for what he was planning. As he neared, he noticed that Roxas was standing there alone, just staring out into space, though Axel had to admit the boy looked rather dashing in a suit. Normally, Roxas just wore regular clothing to work, well; he did after the first couple of weeks. But Axel assumed his mother had forced him into the fancy outfit, as this was a party she was hosting. Her son had to look good in front of the crowd.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here!"

The flinch that ran through Roxas was completely noticeable, and the blond turned around, a nasty glare etched onto his face.

"What, do you want," he hissed, eyes narrowing.

_Ooh, he's irritable. This will be interesting._

"Nothing much. I was just passing by and happened to see you," Axel lied, leaning against the wall next to Roxas. "You looked lonely so I figured I'd come say hi." Roxas rolled his eyes and looked towards the stairs, most likely planning an epic escape. There's no way Axel was going to let him do that, not when he had such a devious idea. Placing his arm around Roxas' shoulder, he leaned down to whisper, "I thought you would like the company, especially since it's mine."

A sharp pain in the side was Roxas response, but when Axel looked up, he could see the teens face was bright red. Roxas was so into Axel; he just didn't seem to know it yet.

"I don't need any company," he snapped, trying to hide his embarrassment, "I only came to this because I have nothing better to do, but if you're going to be all weird with your boundary issues again, I'm just going to leave."

Boundary issues. That had always been Roxas' rational for why Axel was flirting with him.

"I'm sorry, Roxie-" a low hiss escaped the teens lips when Axel used his nickname, but this just made Axel want to tease the boy even more, "-I know these parties are really boring. You should just ditch, even though Tifa would be very disappointed."

"Don't talk about my mother to me. You don't know her at all!"

"Ooh, touchy." Axel grinned again. "Looks like something strange has been going on in the Strife household."

"Shut the hell up."

Axel knew there was something going on with Roxas' parents, he could see it in the way Cloud had been acting recently, but the way Roxas responded to Axel's statement was an obvious sign he was right about his guess. However, instead of feeling the need to make fun of Roxas in a rather flirty way, Axel decided to show his nice side.

"You know," he started, leaning against the wall, "it's okay if you want to talk about it. I won't do anything to you." Roxas looked down, and at first, Axel thought he was going to give in, and when the boy started shaking, Axel knew he had won. However, it soon became apparent that Roxas was laughing. The blond looked up at Axel, his blue eyes bright with amusement, and his lips curled into a smirk.

Axel was amazed at how hot Roxas looked when he had that expression on his face, but the red-head managed to keep his emotions under control.

Letting out a slight laugh, Roxas shook his head. "You? Not do anything? That's the best thing I've heard all night." He laughed again.

"I'm serious," Axel said in a whiny voice, feeling slightly hurt by what his crush was saying. "I won't do anything to make fun of you. I know what it's like to be with parents who fight all the time...," he trailed off, looking down at his feet as flashes of his past appeared in his conscience. Memories of his father, his mother in the hospital, walking the streets on Christmas Eve, being discovered by Ellie when he was near death.

"Hey, you okay?"

Roxas was looking over at Axel with a very worried expression, which caused Axel to desperately want to pull the young man into a hug and say "I'm fine," and "you don't need to worry about me," but Axel had a feeling he would get another painful jab in the stomach if he did so...

Sighing, Axel pushed away from the wall. "There's nothing wrong with me." He started to walk away, but stopped after a few steps and turned around again. "I'm going to go hang out with Ellie now, if you want me to leave you alone. See ya later." Once more, Axel started to walk away, but was stopped when a hand grabbed the back of his jacket. Turning, Axel was extremely surprised to see a pink faced Roxas holding onto the back of Axel's fancy coat, looking at his feet. Surprised; but also happy. "Can I help you?"

The blond let go of the jacket. "Well, no, not really, but you just looked so… well, sad. It kind of reminded me of that time we played that question game, and I asked you if you had a girlfriend-" Axel rolled his eyes at that, clearly remembering the stupid question he had been asked. Of all the things Roxas could have asked, and he chose the one that obviously had nothing to do with Axel. How stupid could a person get? Axel had been so pissed at that, he refused to talk to Roxas the rest of the way to Hallow Bastion. That was also partly because Axel didn't want to scream "bloody murder" at the poor idiot, but part of him wishes he had.

After all, how could he not tell that Axel was completely gay?

"Well… that was a different story," Axel began slowly, turning completely to face Roxas, "I just didn't know what to say to you after that, I wasn't sad."

"Oh."

Silence fell over the two men for a second, before Axel realized something. "Wait, did you think I had a bad breakup with a girl?" Roxas shot a cheeky grin at his co-worker as he nodded, obviously embarrassed by his assumption, and Axel felt the need to just randomly kiss the boy so Roxas finally figured out Axel was gay, but he had a feeling that would end badly, so he kept his feelings to himself. "Look, Roxie, I have never had a girlfriend before. Kay?"

Roxas let out a laugh.

"What?" Cocking his head to one side, Axel tried to figure out why Roxas was laughing. Was it a relieved laugh? A mocking laugh? Or a laugh that showed just how sorry Roxas felt for his red-headed co-worker?

"You've seriously never had a girlfriend? I thought chicks liked smart boys who're five years younger than them." Roxas covered his mouth, continuing to laugh as he said this, and Axel felt the dire need to slap Roxas over the head. Obviously this guy knew nothing about life, which would actually make sense.

"No, Roxie, I've never had a girlfriend, and most _chicks_ don't like guys who are younger than them. It makes them seem old."

Roxas stopped laughing immediately. "Nami's older than I am…," he muttered, looking away, and Axel almost burst into fits of hysterical laughter. Almost. This was a good thing for Axel, as Naminé always got on his nerves about her being the first one to date Roxas. The two of them had been arguing about it ever since Naminé had forced Roxas to ask her out back in September. Well, not forced, but something close to it.

_That cunning, conniving, bitchy little girl acts like she owned Roxas now, and hates me because I'm the one who gets to work with him all the time. Oh how I wish she would just-_

Axel's vicious thoughts about the female were interrupted by Roxas calling out "hello" to try and get Axel's attention. Blinking, Axel looked down at him, not realizing he had just been spacing out.

"Dude, what's wrong with you tonight?" Roxas' voice was a little higher than normal. "I mean, first you come over here and try to act all understanding, then you get this look on your face like you just remembered the saddest day of your life, and as soon as I mention my girlfriend-" Axel had to control a hiss that was rising in his throat when Roxas said that Naminé was his girlfriend, "-you looks as though you're about to kill someone. Are you… bi-polar?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you- wait, no, never mind." Roxas looked down at his feet, like he was embarrassed about something, but Axel was just marveling in this new crazy idea. He was neither bi, nor polar, and definitely not both at the same time.

"This kinda reminds me of the second time we met. Don't you agree?"

"Um… what are you talking about?"

Axel froze for a second, thinking about the second time he had met Roxas. It was in the elevator, right? On Roxas' first day of work.

Suddenly, Axel remembered that the first time he had met Roxas, the guy had been three years old, so obviously he wouldn't know about it. Laughing nervously, Axel patted Roxas on the head to try and distract the boy. "Sorry, sorry. I meant the first time we met. You know, in the elevator, when you asked me my name and I was started joking around with you and refused to answer the question you asked me so you said 'never mind…'"

"Oh. Right. Sorry." The two stopped talking, both looking in different directions, as an awkward silence fell over then. Out of the corner of his eye, Axel spotted Ellie again, chatting with her adoptive father, Ansem. She caught his eye and smirked, communicating a laughing mockery towards Axel with just one look. Obviously she knew Axel's plan wasn't working.

Desperate to prove her wrong, Axel decided to reform his plan.

"So, Roxie… still feeling a bit down about your parents?"

Roxas looked up at Axel, his blue eyes wide with confusion, and a blank expression on his face, like he was a zombie. "Um… a little bit. Why?"

"Well, you see, I was thinking that maybe you and I could, you know, duck out for a little bit, get away from the crowd, just chat, get some things off your chest, you know?" There was something about the low lights of the party, and the music playing in the background that made Axel think of this moment as something you would see in a movie. Roxas' eyes widened a bit, but quickly went back to normal as he glanced to the other side of the room, no doubt looking for his parents.

It was a desperate time for Axel as he watched Roxas ponder the offer that had been put out there, and he kept glancing back at Ellie who was laughing at something an old man Axel didn't know said. He assumed she actually wasn't cracking up at what this man had said, but more at the fact Axel was failing miserably.

Telepathically, Axel tried to tell her to shut up, but he has never had ESP powers so it didn't work very well.

"Um... actually that sounds kinda nice. If you don't mind." The nervous laugh that followed that sentence did absolutely nothing to push down the happiness that Axel was feeling at that moment.

"Seriously?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not."

"Alrighty then. I'm going to go get something to drink. You want something?" Axel asked, but continued before the blond could answer, "Good. I'll be right back." Practically skipping, Axel headed over to the refreshments table where Ellie was now standing. "Guess what?" The singsongy voice was annoying, even to Axel's ears, and he could tell it bugged Ellie as her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms.

Raising and eyebrow, she asked, "What?" before going back to the table to pick out some food.

Axel smirked, grabbing two cups and filling them with punch before reaching into his coat again and pulling out the bottle. Tipping it into one of the cups, his smirk turned into an actually smile as Ellie laughed, and once he was done, he turned around to face her.

"We're going to have a drunken Roxas on our hands."

* * *

Any other day, there would be no way Axel would have been able to pull of what he managed to do that night at the Christmas party, and that was to get Roxas drunk. Mainly because there were hundreds of people there, but also because it seems Roxas wanted to escape from reality for a bit.

"So, what are we going to talk about?" Axel leaned against the back of the couch, sparkling green eyes watching Roxas' every move.

"Hell if I know," Roxas muttered, taking a sip of the drink Axel had brought him. "This was _your_ idea."

"Indeed it was. Doesn't mean I know what to do."

"Hm…"

The two sat in silence, staring at the room around them. Cushy couches lined the walls where bookshelves weren't, all with small pillows and a blanket thrown on them, and a simple table stood in the middle of the room, lined with photos of Roxas and his parents when he was younger, up to what Axel assumed was middle school. The windows were clad with burgundy curtains that matched the color of the couches perfectly, blocking out all of the moonlight that would normally be shining in the room. The only light was a small lamp in the corner of the room, which illuminated the most interesting thing Axel had ever seen in this house; a grand piano.

"Do you play?" Roxas cocked his head to one side, causing Axel to point to the piano behind him. "Do you play," he asked again. Sitting up, Roxas turned around to stare at the black instrument, before he let out a sigh.

"Kinda, not really. I know a few things about it, but I'm not very good. It's my mom who plays."

"Oh? Is she good?"

Silence answered Axel's question, but he associated that with the fact that Roxas was now holding his head, his eyes shut tightly. As the excitement built up in Axel, he leaned across the couch, hoping that Roxas wouldn't figure out what happened.

"Whoa, you look really sick. You okay?" Axel's voice was full of fake concern, trying very hard to mask the amusement and sadistic tone that begged to come out instead.

Shaking his head, Roxas looked up. "Um… yeah, I think so. Just a headache. And yeah, my mom is really good. She's won awards and what not." He took another sip from the cup spiked with alcohol, before standing up. "You know, now that I think about it, this drink tastes really weird. You didn't do something to it, did you?" The only time Axel _didn't_ want Roxas to be smart and actually notice something, the blond did. It was just like Axel's luck.

"What? Of course not! Silly Roxie. Why would I do something to your drink? I could get in so much trouble for it. You're probably just imagining things because you _want_ me to have done something."

"No I don't!" Roxas protested, his voice becoming whiny, then after a second's consideration added, "Or do I…?" Axel wanted to laugh at how much of a lightweight Roxas was. If he was already tipsy from a single drink... Of course, it didn't help that the boy had probably never had alcohol in his life before, and he was tiny, even if he denied it. Plus, he wasn't aware that Axel had spiked his drink.

_Man, this is going to be so much fun when Roxas finally finishes. _Axel thought to himself, _I think I put enough alcohol in there..._

"That doesn't matter though!" Roxas cried out suddenly, finishing his drink in one swing. "I'm too tired to talk about anything!" He slumped against his seat, closing his eyes with a sigh. "You're evil, you know that?"

_Dang he was affected quickly!_ Axel snickered, which luckily went unnoticed by Roxas. "I'm evil? Why am I evil?" It was an honest question. It was still possible that Roxas had no idea Axel was trying to get Roxas to do admit something interesting by spiking his drink and watching the show with a front row seat.

"You did something to me! You know that, right?"

_Oh shit! Did he figure it out?_ "I did? What did I do?"

"I don't know," Roxas's voice was becoming slurred and he let out a maniacal laugh. "All I know, is that when I'm around you, I feel all... weird, you know?"

"You feel weird?" Axel was completely into the conversation now, leaning forward with great interest. "How so?"

Roxas looked up at Axel, a smile on his face, and he stood up, stumbling over to Axel. "Hm... well," Roxas whispered, placing his hands on the armrests of the chair Axel was perched in, and leaned forward. Axel's eyes widened. "it's like I want to-" he leaned forward a little bit more, like he was going to, "-kill you or something!" The teen laughed, falling back onto his couch like he was some kind of maniac, and Axel let out a disappointed sigh. Roxas had been so close, and yet...

His thoughts trailed to giving up on Roxas. After all, you can't _make_ someone be gay.

"Well, I already knew th-" A light snoring interrupted Axel in mid speech, and he looked down at a now sleeping Roxas. "-at..." A smile tugged at the corners of Axel's mouth, and his eyes went soft as he watched the sleeping boy. "Man, you really know how to get to a guy, don't you," Axel whispered, leaning against his arm. Roxas looked so... vulnerable and adorable as he slept, causing all thoughts of just giving up on him to fly out of Axel's mind. This guy was worth the trouble.

"Good night, Roxas."

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Next chapter is really, really weird. Why, you ask? Ever hear of "The Princess Bride?" **


	15. I dream of The Princess Bride

**Unedited, unpolished, written just for the hell of it and my own messed up amusement; here is chapter 15, dear readers. **

**Normally I say in my author's notes "I need advice, please tell me what I should work on" yada, yada, yada. Not for this chapter. This chapter is completely random, completely messed up, and I don't even care how horrible the writing is, because I had a shit ton of fun writing this and it makes me laugh every time I either read it, or watch the movie it's based off of.**

**Now then, as I stated in the last chapter, this is The Princess Bride. For those of you who are unaware, this move/book is an epic tale about two lovers who are separated, pushed together again, separated, pushed together, and finally, live on happily. I think. The story ends with them being happy, but one guy in their group has been stabbed in the gut, another is a fugitive pirate, another is a traitor to the king, and the main character, Buttercup, is supposed to be marrying the prince but she ends up not doing so. Things obviously don't go well for them later on.**

**But that's not the point! Mainly because there is no point, but still! I have written this chapter because I am insane, and I wanted to be an idiotic crack writer for some odd reason. So please, sit back, relax, and enjoy this very strange telling of the story, The Princess Bride, with the cast of Is there an Elephant in the Room as the main characters. However, if you really don't want to read 20 pages of crack, then just skip to the end where Roxas wakes up after passing out drunk and says something very entertaining to Axel XD**

**And yes, I was lazy... I skipped a lot of the movie, but come on! The script itself was 50 pages... I could do that to myself... *sigh* I tried to make it humorous though XD If you guys want, in the next chapter I'll post a list of who is who, especially for the people who don't know this movie very well XD  
**

**So please, enjoy, review, and I'll see you guys next week!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: I dream of The Princess Bride  
**

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* * *

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"A book? You're giving me a book?"

"That's right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today, I'm gonna read it to you."

"Has it got any sports in it?"

"Are you kidding? Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles."

"It doesn't sound too bad. I'll try and stay awake."

"Oh. Well, thank you very much. It's very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming. All right. The Princess Bride, by X. Ansem. Chapter One. Kairi was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin."

* * *

_"Her favorite pastimes were riding her horse and tormenting the farm boy that worked there. His name was Sora, but she never called him that. Isn't that a wonderful beginning?"_

_ "Yeah. It's really good"_

_ "Nothing gave Kairi as much pleasure as ordering Sora around."_

A young girl with unbrushed, reddish brown hair, mangy clothing, and looking to be in her late teens, was leading a horse by the reigns towards a stable. The grass she passed through was a color of green that made emeralds jealous, with beautifully trees surrounding the broken down stable. Mountains surrounded the building, keeping it entrapped in a valley of lush plants and wonderful paths for horse riding. Equal in beauty was this girl, Kairi, and she walked haughtily up to the stable boy and held out the reigns for him to take.

"Farm boy. Polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning," she scoffed. The boy watched her slowly with his blue eyes, brown hair falling in his face.

"As you wish," he said to her, quietly. She turns up her nose and walks away, unaware that the amazingly handsome man is watching her every move.

"'_As you wish' was all he ever said to her."_

The farm boy was standing outside the hut one day, chopping pieces of wood, when Kairi once again strode up to him, holding out buckets of water.

"Farm Boy. Fill these with water," she said, placing the buckets on the ground. As he stared at her she hesitantly added, "please?" Sora nodded.

"As you wish." Flushing slightly, Kairi turned quickly and headed off, unawares of the eyes locked onto her. Suddenly, she stops and turns around to face Sora again, and he averts his eyes as Kairi stares at him.

"_That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying, 'As you wish," what he meant was, 'I love you.'"_

In the Kitchen of Kairi's home, a few days later, Kairi stands alone, washing dishes when Sora walks in, firewood carried under his arm. The girl turns to him, a longing look in her eyes, and she watches him place the wood near the fire place.

"_And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back."_

"Farm Boy, fetch me that pitcher," Kairi nearly whispered, pointing towards something she could reach herself. With a nod, Sora strode over and then slowly, reaches for it and hands it to her, standing abnormally close to her, and is gazing into her eyes.

"As you wish." Without another word, he turned and headed outside again.

Suddenly, the two young adults are outside a tiny hovel, the glowing sunset behind them. Sora's hands are wrapped around Kairi's pulling her closer to him as he kisses her, and she was-

"_-hold it, hold it-"

* * *

_

"What is this? Are you trying to trick me? Where's the sports? Is this a kissing book?

"Wait, just wait-"

"- well, when does it get good?"

"Keep your shirt on. Let me read; Sora had no money for marriage. So he packed his few belongings and left the farm to seek his fortune across the sea."

* * *

"_It was a very emotional time for Kairi-"_

" _I don't be-leeve this."_

"I fear I'll never see you again," Kairi whispered, holding Sora's hand with great love as the two of them stood outside of his hut.

"Of course you will," Sora replied, a sack slung over his shoulder.

Looking up at him with fear in her eyes, Kairi said, "But what if something happens to you?" Sora let out a hearty chuckle, but stroked his lover's cheek in a comforting gesture.

"Hear this now," he said to her, "I will come for you."

"But how can you be sure?"

Sora shot her a toothy grin. "This is true love. You think this happens every day?" Unable to control herself, Kairi smiles as well before throwing his arms around him and kissing him passionately.

"_Sora didn't reach his destination. His ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never left captives alive. When Kairi got the news that Sora was murdered-"_

"_- murdered by pirates is good-"_

"_She went into her room and shut the door. And for days, she neither slept nor ate."_

"I will never love again." Kairi's voice lacked all emotion as she sat, her face filled with sadness, in Sora's hut. It seemed as though she were going to cry.

"_Five years later, the main square of Florin City was filled as never before to hear the announcement of the great Prince Riku's bride-to be."_

It was a new day, a new year, and the sun was shining down upon a silver-haired prince. He stood upon a balcony, his elderly parents behind him, as well as a young woman clad in men's clothes. The prince raised his hand to speak.

"My people... a month from now, our country will have its five hundredth anniversary. On that sundown, I shall marry a lady who was once a commoner like yourselves," Riku paused for a second before continuing, "but perhaps you will not find her common now. Would you like to meet her?" The crowd let out a single chorus of "yes," before holding their breath. "My people... the Princess Kairi!" Riku exclaimed, as Kairi walked into the courtyard, clad in a beautiful white dress.

Completely silent, the crowd fell to their knees in a worshiping way, as Kairi stood amongst them, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.

_"Kairi's emptiness consumed her. Although the law of the land gave Riku the right to choose his bride, she did not love him. Despite Riku's reassurance that she would grow to love him, the only joy she found was in her daily ride."_

Kairi's horse dashed down the path, miles away from any form of civilization, even the castle. As she rode, she breathed in the scent of the trees that surrounded her, the wind blowing through her hair. Suddenly, she pulls on the reigns of her horse, stopping it almost immediately.

"A word, my lady?"

Three men were standing in a row, the Florin Channel rushing behind them. The one who spoke stood nearest to Kairi, short, with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. Next to him was a slightly taller man, standing proudly with a sense of sadness hiding in the blue eyes that were nearly covered by blond locks, but the most peculiar of all was the third man, with his flaming red hair, tall skinny figure, and strange tattoos under his eyes.

"We are but poor, lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby?" The first man said again, stepping forward. Kairi shook her head and glanced around.

"There is nothing nearby; not for miles," she offered in a kind voice. The gentle look on his face turned to one of pure malice.

"Then there will be no one to hear you scream-" With a nod to the tall redhead, he turned around as the tall man grabbed a nerve on Kairi's neck. She attempted to scream, but passes out before she can.

A curtain of black fell over the world for a few seconds, before lifting to reveal Kairi and the three men. They were standing by a dock, a boat in the background. The smaller of the three held up a uniform and began ripping the insignia off of it. The blond raised an eyebrow before asking;

"What is that you're ripping?"

Without stopping, the leader of the three replied, "It's fabric from the uniform of an Army officer of Guilder." He placed the symbol on the horse with a satisfied look on his face.

"Who's Guilder?" The red-head queried, shifting the girl over his shoulder.

"The country across the sea. The sworn enemy of Florin," the leader replied impatiently as he slapped the horse. "Go!" With a whiny, the horse took off toward his stable. "Once the horse reaches the castle, the fabric will make the Prince suspect the Guilderians have abducted his love. When he finds her body dead on the Guilder frontier, his suspicions will be totally confirmed." The man, Hayner said with a sneer. He strutted onto the boat without another care in the world, but Axel, the red-head, seemed to have a problem with it.

"You never said anything about killing anyone," he muttered, placing Kairi down on the boat.

"I've hired you to help me start a war. That's a prestigious line of work with a long and glorious tradition." There was nothing nice about Hayner's voice as he said this.

"I just don't think it's right, killing an innocent girl," Axel replied standing up straight and turned, only to find Hayner glaring at him furiously.

"Am I going mad or did the word 'think' escape your lips?" He spat, "You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic land mass." The third man had been silent the entire time, but now, he decided to speak.

"I agree with Axel."

Hayner's face became abnormally contorted, and his voice began rising octaves as he screeched at his subordinate. "Oh. The sot has spoken! What happens to her is not truly your concern! _I_ will kill her." He continued to get louder as he advanced on the swordsman, "And remember this- _never_ forget this; when I found you, you were so slobbering drunk you couldn't buy brandy!" Without hesitating, he rounded on Axel who retreated as much as possible. "And you; friendless, brainless, helpless, hopeless! Do you want me to send you back to where you were, unemployed in Greenland?"

As Hayner stalked off, the swordsman leaned over to Axel. "That Hayner, he can _fuss_," he whispered softly. Axel allowed a flirtatious grin to spread across his face.

"Fuss... fuss... " he muttered to himself, glancing out over the water, "I think he likes to scream at us."

Laughing, Roxas leaned against the boat without any worries in the world. "Probably he means no _harm_."

"He's really very short on charm."

"You've got an amazing gift for rhyme," Roxas said proudly. Axel smiled again and wrapped his arm around Roxas before saying;

"Yeah, most of the time."

With a growl, Hayner turned towards them and hissed, "Enough of that!"

"Axel, are there rocks ahead?" Roxas chirped.

"If there are, we'll all be dead!"

"No more rhymes now, I mean it!"

"Anybody want a peanut?"

* * *

"Look! He's right on top of us!"

The rising sun lit up the boat that sailed silently on the lake, revealing the three men and Kairi, who was drenched, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. See, after waking up on the boat, Kairi decided to try and escape by jumping into the water and swimming away. What she didn't know, is that there were flesh eating eels in the lake, so she had to be rescued by Axel or she would have died.

"I wonder if he is using the same wind we are using."

Now, there was another boat following them, and catching up quickly. Roxas seemed to be very worried about this, but Hayner acted as though he could care less. "Whoever he is, he's too late," he scoffed, pointing towards something in the distance, "see? The Cliffs of Insanity!"

Large cliffs protruded out of the horizon, towering over all the world. Kairi huddled back against the wooden panel of the ship, trembling slightly and Roxas put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, despite Hayner yelling at him and Axel to get everything ready.

"Hurry up. Move the thing! Um ... that other thing. Move it!" The four landed on a small island as-

"He didn't fall? In...con...ceivable...?" Hayner started out screeching, but his voice faltered a bit when he realized that he, Roxas, Axel, and Kairi were suddenly at the top of the cliffs. "Um... weren't we just-"

"You keep using that word," Roxas said, turning to Hayner, "I don't think it means what you think it does." He looked down the cliff as though nothing strange were happening. "My God! He's climbing!"

A man, the one who was on the boat, was slowly climbing the wall, sometimes moving up an inch, and other times a foot at a time. Completely forgetting his previous confusing, Hayner let out a frustrated hiss and growled, "Whoever he is, he's obviously seen us with the Princess, and must therefore die." He hit Axel in the arm, "You, carry her." Then to Roxas "We'll head straight for the Guilder frontier. Catch up when he's dead. If he falls, fine. If not, the sword."

Roxas nodded. After Hayner, Axel, and Kairi had left, Roxas looked down the cliff at the man in black. After a small, meaningless conversation that dealt with swearing on a father's grave, leaning about a golden eyed woman, being told about the most amazing sword in the world, and allowing the man in black to rest, the two men finally stood up, drawing their swords.

"Well, I certainly hope you find her, someday," the man in black mused, meaning the six-fingered woman.

"You're ready, then?"

The man in black smiled, "Whether I am or not, you've been more than fair."

Falling into a fighting stance, Roxas returned the expression. "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."

"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die," was Roxas' reply as he took a few steps back.

"Begin!"

Without a second's hesitation, the two men began to attack, teasing each other with small attacks and defenses, testing each other's abilities, before they finally began to completely fight, leading into an epic battle. Roxas' eyes were wide with excitement and thrill.

"You're using Bonetti's defense against me!" He exclaimed. The man in black seemed to be having just as much fun.

"I thought it was fitting, considering the rocky terrain."

"Naturally, you must expect me to attack with Capo Ferro," Roxas said, shifting his style slightly as the two begin to climb a few rocky stairs.

"Naturally," for a second the man seemed to be struggling, but that soon ended when his style changed, "but I find Thibault cancels out Capo Ferro, don't you?"

"Unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa-" Roxas jumped off his perch with great ease, flipping over the man in black as though he did it every day of his life. "-which I have," he added after landing gracefully, facing his opponent. The two continue their epic battle, neither being able to gain complete advantage. Soon, the two are making their way towards the edge of the cliff, but Roxas was extremely excited.

"You're amazing!" He exclaimed.

With a chuckle, the man in black takes a small bow before continuing his advances. "Thanks- I've worked hard to become so." The cliff edge was drawing ever closer, a daunting fall awaited any who came near it, and at that moment, it was Roxas who was going to fall. However, he had a wide smile on his face.

"Well, you're certainly better than me," he grinned, parrying a particularly nasty blow.

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because I know something you don't know."

"And what is that?"

"I am not left-handed."

The rest of the battle went something like this;

Roxas began to fight with his right hand, but he soon finds out that the man in black isn't left handed either, and is soon beaten after an interesting battle that is too complex to write out in words. It ended with Roxas asking the man in black to kill him quickly, but as the mysterious said, it would be a shame to kill an artist such as Roxas, so instead he just got knocked out. The man ran off after Hayner, Axel, and Kairi. Soon after, Prince Riku and his men (and um... woman) arrive at the scene.

"There was a mighty duel-" Riku said haughtily, practically dancing across the clearing in an attempt to follow the 'mighty duel,' "it ranged all over. They were both masters."

Next to him, the woman with brown hair and gold eyes rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Who won? How did it end?" It was obvious she wasn't really interested, but Riku didn't really notice as he made his way towards to place where Roxas had fallen unconscious.

"The loser ran off alone..." he said before pointing in the direction that his prey went. "The winner followed those footprints toward Guilder!"

With a sigh, the woman looked to where the prince was pointing. "Shall we track them both?" She asked without interest.

"Of course not, Ellie! The loser is nothing. Only the Princess matters," he shot a smile at the woman then turned to the warriors with a serious face. "Clearly this was all planned by warriors of Guilder. We must be ready for whatever lies ahead."

"Don't you think this is a trap?"

"I always think everything could be a trap," Riku replied, vaulting onto his horse in a very painful looking way. "How do you think I'm still alive?" He galloped off without waiting for an answer, but Ellie replied anyway.

"I don't know, by making paper cranes?" All of the warriors snickered.

* * *

"So, it is down to you. And it is down to me."

The man in black blinked with confusion, looking around as if he had no idea where he was. That would make sense, of course, as he had just beaten an amazing swordsman at fencing and now he was in the middle of a random field with Hayner sitting at a flat rock with Kairi, blindfolded, next to him. On the rock rested two goblets. Deciding to ignore the strange change of scenery, the man takes a step forward.

"If you wish her dead, by all means keep moving forward," Hayner sneered, pushing a knife in his hand against Kairi's throat.

"Let me explain... if I can."

"There's nothing to explain. You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen." Hayner let out an annoying laugh.

"Right, well, perhaps an arrangement can be reached." Taking another step forward, he held up his hands in defense.

"There will be no arrangement, and you're killing her!" Kairi squeaked at the pain that came from having a knife jabbed into her neck. The man in black stopped moving in an instant, biting his lip in what seemed like fear.

"But if there can be no arrangement," the man began slowly, "then we are at an impasse."

"I'm afraid so - I can't compete with you physically. And you're no match for my brains." The man in black seemed amused by how full of himself Hayner was.

"You're that smart?"

Hayner let out a laugh, slapping his knee, "Let me put it this way: have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?"

"Um... let's go with yes."

"Well, they're morons!" Hayner continued to laugh, but faltered after a second when he realized that the man in black only stared at him with an amused expression. However, he did notice something about the man, and that was his eyes kept flickering to the princess clad in red. However, he tried to hide it, and instead sat down slowly.

"Really? In that case, I challenge you to a battle of wits," the man in black said.

With a smile, Hayner leaned forward slightly, "For the Princess?" The Man In Black nodded. "To the death?" Again, he nodded. "I accept."

"Good," the man said, waving toward to two goblets on the rock. "Then pour the wine."

Hayner reached forward and grabbed the goblets, and the bottle of wine, pouring a deep red liquid into the cups as the man in black reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet.

"Inhale this, but do not touch," the man warned, holding out the packet for Hayner to take. He took it, and took a small whiff before laughing and handing it back.

"I smell nothing."

"What you do not smell is called iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquid, and is among the more deadlier poisons known to man." Hayner watched excitedly as the man in black took the two goblets and twisted so his back faced Hayner and Kairi, fiddling for a second before turning around again. He placed the cups on the table again. "All right: where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right," he paused for a second, allowing the tension to sink in, "and who is dead."

Laughing, once more, Hayner rolled his eyes. "But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet, or his enemy's?" He pauses for a moment, studying the man in black most intensely. "Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I'm not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."

"You've made your decision then?"

"Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows. And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you."

"Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."

"Wait till I get going! Where was I?"

"Australia."

"Yes; Australia, and you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."

"You're just stalling now."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" He stared at the man in black for a time, "You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong. So, you could have put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard which means you must have studied. And in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."

Hayner's excitement continued to grow, but the man in blacks faded slightly.

"You're trying to trick me into giving away something," the man in black scoffed, "it won't work."

"It has worked, you've given everything away, I know where the poison is!" Hayner chuckled haughtily.

"Then make your choice!"

"I will. And I choose-" he began, but suddenly pointed behind the man in black, his eyes wide, "What in the world can that be?" The man in black turned instantly, and Hayner quickly switched the goblets, a grin on his face.

"What? Where? I don't see anything."

"Oh, well, I-I could have sworn I saw something. No matter." The man in black turned back around.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"I'll tell you in a minute," Hayner replied with a snicker, "First, let's drink; me from my glass, and you from yours."

The two picked up their goblets and drank, the man in black first, then Hayner after a moment's hesitation. Finally, they put their cups down, and the man in black smiled.

"You guessed wrong."

By this time, Hayner was laughing so hard her looked as though he were going to fall over. "You only think I guessed wrong," he yelled between fits of giggles, "that's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned. You fool." The man in black says nothing, only sitting there with an amused expression on his face. "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders," Hayner continued after a second, "The most famous is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia.' But only slightly less well known is this: 'Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.'"

He continued with his laughter, his face turning bright red, until he suddenly stopped, his excited expression stuck on his face. The man in black stood up slowly and walked over to Kairi, pulling the blindfold off, as well as untied her hands.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly, her blue eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"I am no one to be trifled with, that is all you ever need know." Was his reply, before he dragged Kairi off onto an untraveled mountain path. Kairi allowed herself one final glance back at Hayner, saying;

"To think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned."

The man in black let out a chuckle, "They were both poisoned," he explained, "I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder."

After a long time of running, that also involved bantering and Kairi almost getting slapped, the man in black threw her gently against a rock, where she lay panting for a second.

"Rest, Highness."

Kairi looked up again, a frown creasing her pretty face, "You, I know who you are!" She exclaimed suddenly. "How cruel you are, that's how I know; you're the Dread Pirate Roberts, admit it!" The man in black turned towards her with a slight bow.

"With pride. What can I do for you?"

"You can die slowly cut into a thousand pieces."

The man raised an eyebrow, "Hardly complimentary, Your Highness. Why lose your venom on me?"

Kairi's eyes suddenly filled with ultimate sadness, and she whispered, "You killed my love." The man in black watches her as though he knew something Kairi didn't, something important...

"It's possible," he finally replied, "I kill a lot of people. Who was this love of yours? Another Prince, like this one, ugly, rich, and scabby?"

"No!" Her expression turned to one of pain and suffering, but her voice was that of a longing school girl. "A farm boy," she began with her quiet voice, "Poor. Poor and perfect, with eyes like a beautiful light sapphire." She looked as though she were about to cry, and she turned to Pirate Roberts. "On the high seas, your ship attacked, and the Dread Pirate Roberts _never_ takes prisoners."

"I can't afford to make exceptions. Once word leaks out that a pirate has gone soft, people begin to disobey you, and then it's nothing but work, work, work, all the time."

"You mock my pain!"

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something. But I remember this boy, he asked me to spare his life. When I questioned him about this, he spoke of a woman, and I only assume he meant you. It would be a shame if he say what you've become."

"And what have I become?" Anger was rising in Kairi as she talked, causing her to stand, her fists clenched.

Roberts replied with a hint of sadness in his voice, "Faithfulness he talked of, madam. Your enduring faithfulness. Now, tell me truly. When you found out he was gone, did you get engaged to your prince that same hour, or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead?" The sadness was quickly replaced by pure malice. Kairi, on the other hand, was seething with rage.

"You mocked me once, never do it again!" Tears formed in her eyes. "I died that day!"

In the distance, the two hear a horse's whinny, and Roberts looked away from a second, only to see Riku and his men heading towards them quickly. He looked slightly worried, but that went away quickly as Kairi screamed, "Now you're going to die too!" She shoved him off the ravine's edge, and watched he rolled down towards the bottom of the rocky ravine. A somewhat happy look crosses her face, as she hears something most peculiar.

"... as... you... wish!"

Realization dawned on Kairi, and she gasped, covering her mouth in utter horror. "Oh, my God! Sora! What have I done?" Without a second thought or hesitation, she threw herself off the cliff as well, tumbling towards her true love without a care in the world that she was getting beat up by the rocks. Once the two stopped moving, Sora, his mask now gone, moved towards Kairi hesitantly.

"Can you move at all?" He asked her, reaching out a hand to caress her face. Kairi's eyes closed at Sora's touch, and she weakly stretched out her own arm towards him.

"Move? You're alive. If you want, I can fly." She stared into his eyes with great love, brushing a lock of his brown hair out of his face.

"I told you I would come back for you. Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Well... you were dead."

"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."

"I will never doubt again."

"There will never be a need."

And with that, Sora pulled Kairi up into his embrace and kissed her intensely.

_"Oh no. Please no."

* * *

_

"What is it? What's the matter?"

"They're kissing again, do we have to hear the kissing part?"

"Someday, you may not mind so much."

"Skip on to the Fire Swamp - that sounded good."

"Oh. You're sick, I'll humor you. So now, where were we here? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ah. Oh. Okay. Sora and Kairi raced along the ravine floor."

* * *

Kairi and Sora ran quickly across the ravine floor, but the noise of horses caught their attention. Sora stopped in an instant, turning with a smirk on his face. "Ha. Your pig fiancé is too late. A few more steps and we'll be safe in the Fire Swamp."

"Are you mad? We'll never survive," Kairi tried to argue, but she was dragged along before she really convince Sora of this.

"Nonsense," Sora said, "you're only saying that because no one ever has."

The two of them enter the Fire Swamp, Sora's sword in his hand, and Kairi clinging to his arm as though her life depended on it. Suddenly, Sora let out a "hmph."

"It's not that bad," he said. Kairi blinked and turned towards him, a look of utter horror written on her face. Sora just smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely."

And so, the two of them continued their way into the Fire Swamp, where Kairi was almost burned to death, then swallowed by sand, and finally, she lay panting against Sora, covered in sand, on the verge of tears.

"We'll never succeed," she moaned, "we may as well die here."

"No. No. We have already succeeded." He pulled her away, his eyes avoiding the strange creatures that are prowling around them. He stands, bringing Kairi with him. "I mean, what are the three terrors of the Fire Swamp? One, the flame spurts. No problem. There's a popping sound preceding each, we can avoid that. Two, the Lightning Sand. But you were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in the future we can avoid that too."

Kairi stopped, "Sora, what about the H.O.U.S.'s?

"Heartless of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist..."

Just as he said this, a gigantic black creature tackled Sora, and the two get into another epic battle, but it would take too much work to really write what happens, so-

"We did it," Kairi said, disbelievingly, staring at the dead H.O.U.S. Sora laughed, nursing his injured shoulder.

"Now, was that so terrible?" Kairi laughed, most likely out of nervousness, and kissed Sora lightly before the two of them picked themselves up and finally made their way out of the Fire Swamp. However, when they exited the horrendous swamp, they ran into Prince Riku himself, Count Ellie perched on her horse next to him.

"Surrender!" Riku's voice boomed from atop his steed, behind him the waters of the bay. Sora just chuckled.

"You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept." Silence fell over the group as Riku and Ellie exchanged glances.

"I-I give you full marks for bravery, but don't make yourself a fool," Riku said, not sure how to respond to such idiocy. Ellie just laughed to herself.

"Ah," Sora said, "but how will you capture us? We know the secrets of the Fire Swamp. We can live there quite happily for some time." He turned his nose up toward the sky. "So, whenever you feel like dying, feel free to visit."

Becoming extremely frustrated, Riku yelled, "I tell you once again; surrender!"

"It will not happen!" Blind with rage, Sora failed to notice the three warriors with crossbows that were standing behind the trees.

"For the last time, _surrender_!" Riku roared.

"_Death first_!" Sora replied with equal intensity. Sora reached to draw his sword, and the three warriors raised their weapons, but they didn't go unnoticed by Kairi.

She grabbed Sora's arm, keeping him from attacking the prince. "Will you promise not to hurt him?" Riku whirled to face her, and she walked forward slowly, pushing past Sora despite his protests.

"What was that?" the prince asked, raising an eyebrow. Next to Kairi, Sora put a hand on her shoulder.

"What was that?"

Kairi sighed and began to speak to both of the men. "If I go with you, and we surrender, will you promise not to hurt him."

"Are you mad?" Sora asked in Kairi's ear, but she just shoved him away gently and Riku raised his right hand.

"May I live a thousand years and never hunt again," he vowed.

Kairi's eyes turned on Sora. "He is a sailor on the pirate ship "Revenge." Promise to return him to his ship."

"I swear it will be done."

As Kairi and Sora stared into each others eyes, Riku leaned towards Ellie.

"Once we're out of sight, take him back to Florin and throw him in the Pit of Despair."

A mocking smile on her face, she whispered back, "I swear it will be done."

So, because the author here is being lazy, we're going to cut directly to the Pit of Despair, where Sora lay on a table, bound to it by chains. "Where am I?"

A young lady walked up to Sora, a rag and bucket of water in her hands. "The Pit of Despair," she whispered as she began to tend Sora's wounds. He winced, and the woman continued, pushing a lock of her nearly white hair out of her face. :Don't even think ," she started coughing viciously, then talked again, her voice back to normal. "-don't even think about trying to escape. The chains are far too thick. And don't dream of being rescued either. The only way in is secret. And only the Prince, the Count, and I know how to get in and out."

"Alright... I have two questions."

"Go ahead."

"First of all, who are you? And second, I'm basically going to stay here until I die?"

"The name's Naminé. And till they kill you. Yeah."

"Then why bother curing me?"

"The Prince and the Count always insist on everyone being healthy before they're broken."

"So it's to be torture?"

Naminé nodded.

"I can cope with torture."

Biting her lip, Naminé shook her head.

"You don't believe me?"

A sigh escaped Naminé's lips and she continued to tend Sora's wounds. "You survived the Fire Swamp. You must be very brave..." she paused dramatically. "but nobody withstands; The Machine!"

On the other side of Florin, Kairi walked down a hallway, not seeing anything near her. Ellie and Riku were standing in another hallway near the poor princess, and they watched her sadly as she walked by them.

"She's been like that ever since the Fire Swamp." Riku shook his head sadly and then turned to Ellie, a smile plastered on his face. "It's my father's failing health that's upsetting her."

Knowing it wasn't true, Ellie gave the prince a look of disbelief before saying, "Of course." Prince Riku just smiled down at her before the two of them moved on.

_"The King died that very night, and before the following dawn, Kairi and Riku were married, and at noon, she met her subjects again. This time as their Queen."_

Once again, Prince Riku was standing on the balcony, Ellie to his right, and his mother clad in back to his left. He raised his hand, and began to speak. "My father's final words were-"

_"Hold it. Hold it, Grandpa."

* * *

_

" You read that wrong. She doesn't marry Riku, she marries Sora. I'm just sure of it. After all that Sora did for her, if she does not marry him, it wouldn't be fair."

"Well, who says life is fair? Where is that written? Life isn't always fair."

"I'm telling you you're messing up the story, now get it right!"

"Do you want me to go on with this?"

"Yes."

"All right, then. No more interruptions. At noon, she met her subjects again. This time as their Queen."

* * *

"My father's final words were 'love her as I loved her, and there will be joy.' I present to you your Queen. Queen Kairi." Riku waved his hand towards the archway where Kairi was first introduced to the people, and once again, this is where she stood, wearing the crown of a queen, and clad in a beautiful blue dress. Her expression, however, was one of pure and utter sadness, and she walked the carpet. As she stepped into the sunlight, a loud 'booing' was suddenly heard. Turning her attention towards the place where the noise was coming from, Kairi noticed an old woman standing amongst the kneeling subjects.

"Why?" Kairi asked, looking as though she were about to cry. The old woman started walking forward.

"Because you had love in your hands, and you gave it up."

"But they would have killed Sora if I hadn't done it," Kairi said, distraught.

"Your true love lives and you marry another," she turned to the crowd. "True love saved her in the Fire Swamp, and she treated it like garbage. And that's what she is, the Queen of Refuse! So, bow down to her if you want. Bow to her. Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence. Boo! Boo! Rubbish! Filth! Slime! Muck! Boo! Boo!"

Kairi tried to run away as quickly as she could, but the taunting boo's seemed to be holding her in place, keeping her in the path of the old hag, but suddenly, she was in her bed, sitting up in horror.

_"It was ten days till the wedding. The King still lived, but Kairi's nightmares were growing steadily worse."_

_ "Didn't I tell you she'd never marry that rotten Riku?"_

_ "Yes, you're very smart. Shut-Up."_

Kairi threw on her robes and dashed out of her room, heading barefoot to Prince Riku's office, where he and Count Ellie were discussing something. Not caring that they were talking, Kairi interrupted them and said, "It comes to this: I love Sora. I always have. I know now I always will. If you tell me I must marry you in ten days, please believe I will be dead by morning."

Riku just sat there, stunned by Kairi's sudden declaration. Finally, however, he stood up and calmly said, "I could never cause you grief; consider our wedding off." He turned to Ellie. "You returned this Sora to his ship?"

"I did exactly what you told me to, and nothing else." Riku had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at Ellie's truthfulness, but he managed to keep his entertainment from Kairi.

"Then we will simply alert him." However, he was desperate to keep Kairi from actually meeting Sora ever again, so he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Beloved, are you certain he still wants you? After all, it was you who did the leaving in the Fire Swamp. Not to mention that pirates are not known to be men of their words."

Kairi simply brushed his hand off and replied, "My Sora will always come for me."

Over an hour after this exchange, Riku and Ellie were walking down the path of a dark, ominous wood, chatting pleasantly.

"Your Princess is really a _winning_ creature," Ellie sneered with mockery, "A trifle simple, perhaps, but her appeal is _undeniable_."

"Jealous?"

"You wish."

Riku chuckled. "Well, the people are quite taken with her. It's odd, but when I hired Hayner to have her murdered on our engagement day, I thought that was clever. But it's going to be so much more moving when I strangle her on our wedding night. Once Guilder is blamed, the nation will be truly outraged. They'll demand we go to war."

The two of stopped farther in the grove, near a very strange looking tree.

"Now, where is that secret knot? It's impossible to find." Ellie examined the strange tree closely, before finally pressing a knot on the tree, opening a secret door. "Are you coming down into the Pit? Sora's got his strength back. I am starting him on The Machine tonight."

"Oh Ellie, you know how much I love watching you work, but, I've got my country's five hundredth anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I'm swamped."

Ellie stepped back up towards Riku and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest. If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything." Riku smiled down at Ellie, and patted her on the head, causing her to blush slightly, but she forced herself to calm down before heading down into the Pit of Despair.

_"The day of the wedding arrived. The Brute Squad had their hands full carrying out Riku's orders to clear out the Thieves Forest."_

_ "Wait, wait! What about the Pit of Despair? And Sora? What happened to them?"_

_ "Oh, nothing really. Ellie hooked Sora up the Machine and stole one year of his life, Ellie thought it was interesting, but right now that's not important!"_

_ "Oh... okay then."_

_ "So anyway, the Thieves Forest..."_

"Is everybody out?" The leader of the brute squad asked. An assistant brute walked up, a large cut on his face.

"Almost. There's a Spaniard giving us some trouble."

"Well, you give him some trouble. Move!"

The assistant brute squat member growled under his breath, but took off towards the place where the drunk Spaniard was sitting.

I am waiting for you, Hayner. You told me to go back to the beginning. So I have. This is where I am, and this is where I'll stay. I will not be moved!" Roxas nearly screeched, leaning against a house, and he takes a long drink from his bottle of brandy, but stops when the assistant brute came into view.

"Hello there," the brute said, trying to remain calm. Roxas said nothing, he just held out his sword and started swinging it around dangerously.

"I do not budge!" he said finally, "Keep your stupid hello!"

"But the Prince gave orders-"

"So did Hayner; when a job went wrong, you went back to the beginning. And this is where we got the job. So it's the beginning, and I'm staying till Hayner comes."

"You disgust me..." the AB said, shaking his head. He pointed next to him. "You! Brute! Come here."

"I- am- waiting- for- Vizzini!" Roxas exclaimed, scrambling to his feet, brandishing his sword and brandy at the AB as though he had nothing to lose. Of course, judging by his state, the man really didn't have anything to lose.

"Well aren't you a meanie," a deep voice said, "Don't you mean you're waiting for Hayner?" A skinny hand placed itself on Roxas' back, keeping the drunk man from falling down again. Roxas blinked, confused, and grabbed the hand with his own, comparing the two, before looking up into a pair of sea-green eyes. "Hello." Axel grinned.

Roxas' eyes widened. "Hey! It's you!"

"That's true. Nice to see you again, Roxie." Out of the corner of his eye, Axel saw the AB as he was about to strike Roxas unconscious, so he let go of Roxas with one hand and punched the AB in the face. The man flew across the clearing and crashed into something that made a large crash. "Man, Roxie. You look horrible. Smell that way too."

"Yeah, well, I feel... fine!" Roxas protested, pushing Axel away from him. "Perfectly fine!"

"Oh? You do now?"

It was about that time that Roxas fainted, and Axel just shook his head. "Wow..."

_"Axel and Roxas were reunited. And as Axel nursed his inebriated friend back to health, he told Roxas of Hayner's death and the existence of Count Ellie, the golden-eyed woman. Considering Roxas' lifelong search, he handled the news surprisingly well."_

Roxas finished chewing the stew that Axel had prepared for him, before once again fainting, this time in his meal. Rolling his eyes, Axel pulled Roxas out of the stew and walked away, heading to prepare something. This something happened to be two large tubs, one full of hot, and one full of cold water. He grabbed Roxas and started shoving his head in the two buckets.

_"Axel took great care in reviving Roxas."_

"That's enough. That's enough! Where is this Ellie so I can cut her throat out and shove it up her-" Roxas finally said, pushing Axel away from him.

"Whoa, whoa there. Let's not get violent here. You should just settle with killing her," Axel said, patting the blond on the head. " And he's with the Prince in the Castle."

"Excellent! Sounds easy enough."

"Oh, did I mention the castle's guarded by thirty men?"

"... No, you didn't."

"Oh, sorry."

Roxas sighed, "I forgive you." Axel smiled. "How many could you handle?"

Pondering this for a second, Axel placed his arm around Roxas' shoulder. "I don't think more than ten."

Roxas held up his hand and started counting, almost as if he were doing math, before scowling angrily. "That leaves twenty for me. You seriously can't take on anymore?" Axel shook his head. "Gah! I need Hayner to plan. I fail at strategy..."

"Yeah, you are, but Hayner's dead. I think."

The two remained silent for a time, Axel with his hand on Roxas' wet head, and the blond thinking intensely, his eyes narrowed with though. A few seconds later, Roxas' eyes went wide, and he slammed his fist on the table. "No... not Hayner... it's the creepy man in the mask I need!"

Axel retreated from his friend and crossed his arms. "Are you mad?"

"Yes, but that's not the point." He clenched his fists. "Look, he bested you with strength, your greatness. He bested me with steel. He must have out-thought Hayner, and a man who can do that can plan my castle's onslaught any day. Let's go!"

"Um... where?"

"Where do you think?"

"I don't know. I'm not a genius."

"To the man in black! Obviously..."

"Oh... but you don't know where he is... or do you?"

_ "And so, Axel and Roxas set out on a journey to find the man in black, also known as Sora, but they were going to have a lot of trouble finding him."_

_ "Why is that?"_

_ "Because Prince Riku planned to kill him."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Did I not read that part? Oh, well... See, Princess Kairi came to Prince Riku and the two of them got into an argument, which ended in Kairi saying she loved Sora and refused to marry Riku, mainly because she found out that Riku broke his promise and didn't send out his fastest four ships after Sora. She didn't seem to care though, as she told Riku that Sora was her true love and he would come for her. So, Riku threw her in her room and ran off towards the Pit of despair..."_

_ "Why didn't you just read that?"_

_ "... So anyway, the Pit of Despair was lit by beautiful candles, though the fact that Sora was strapped to the table and Ellie was sitting at a desk as she took a few notes, somewhat distracted from that. Suddenly, Riku burst into the room..."_

He dashed over to Sora and slammed his fists on the table, extremely angry. "You truly love each other, and so you might have been truly happy. Not one couple in a century has that chance, no matter what the storybooks say. And so I think no man in a century will suffer as greatly as you will."

With that, he whirled around and grabbed the lever for The Machine, and yanked it up as far as it would go."

"You idiot! Not to fifty!" Ellie screeched, standing up and running over to Riku in an attempt to turn of the machine. Riku, however, grabbed her writs and kept her away, as Sora let out a horrendous screech that went on, and on, and on, and on, until finally, he stopped moving completely. Ellie and Riku stood there in silence, Naminé close behind them.

"Wh-why did you-" Ellie began, only to be cut off by Riku.

"I will always win."

A few hours later, Naminé rushed through the woods, pushing a wheelbarrow, when she ran into Roxas, who had been attracted to the grove by Sora's howl of pain.

"Where is the Man in Black?" Roxas queried, his sword pressed against her sternum. The woman's eyes widened, and a faint blush painting her cheeks at the sight of Roxas. Slowly, she shook her head, but said nothing. "You can get to him from this grove here, right?" Still, Naminé said nothing. Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get another sound out, Axel brought his hand down on Naminé's head, knocking her out in a second.

"Woops. Sorry Roxie. Didn't mean to do that."

"Uh huh. Sure you didn't," Roxas bit his lip to hide a smile, and the two began searching for the entrance to the Pit of Despair, and after falling accidentally into the tree with a hundred knots, they finally found it, and the two headed down into the pit, only to find the lifeless body of Sora on the table where Ellie and Riku had left him.

Slowly, Axel walked towards him and took his pulse.

"He's dead..." he said quietly, which caused Roxas to collapse in the chair next to the table. For a moment, he just sat there, sagging in the chair like he was going to die himself, and he placed his head in his hands.

"It's... just not fair..." he muttered, his voice cracking.

_"Grandpa, Grandpa, wait-"

* * *

_

"Wait, what did Axel mean, 'He's dead?' I mean he didn't mean dead. Sora's only faking, right?"

"You want me to read this or not?"

"Who gets Riku?"

"I don't understand."

"Who kills Prince Riku? At the end, somebody's got to do it. Is it Roxas? Who?"

"Nobody. Nobody kills him. He lives."

"You mean he wins? Jesus, Grandpa! What did you read me this thing for?"

"You know, you've been very sick and you're taking this story very seriously. I think we better stop now."

"No! I'm okay. I'm okay. Sit down. All right?"

"Okay. All right, now, let's see. Where were we? Oh yes. In the Pit of Despair."

* * *

"This... this isn't good... Well, come on, Axel. Bring that body." Roxas had stood up, and was heading towards the exit of the Pit of Despair. Axel looked at his friend, confused.

"The body? Why am I bringing the body?

"Trust me on this. Do you have any money?"

"Uh yeah, a little."

"I just hope it's enough to buy a miracle, that's all."

Axel reached down and picked up Sora's corpse, shaking his head with confusion. He followed him out of the pit, and the two walk quickly and quietly through the forest, heading towards a small hovel in the middle of the forests. Nodding at Axel, Roxas reached out his hand, once they'd reached the house, and knocked. From inside, an old man's voice yelled at them to go away. Roxas, however, ignored this and continued pounding.

Finally, the small window on the door opened and the face of an old man appeared. "What do you want!"

"Are you the Miracle Man, Cloud, who used to work for the king?" Roxas asked seriously. The man scoffed.

"The King's stinking son fired me. And thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? We're closed!" He slammed the window closed, but Roxas was determined not to give up, and he raped on the door again. The old man opened the door again. "Get outta here before I call the Brute Squad!"

Axel pushed his way in front of Roxas and smiled. "I'm on the brute squad."

Cloud looked up at Axel with a disgusted look on his face. "I can tell."

"Look," Roxas began shoving Axel out of the way, "we really need a miracle!"

"Well, I'm retired. Besides, why would you want someone the King's stinking son fired? I might kill whoever you wanted me to miracle."

"He's already dead."

Cloud blinked. "He is? Well then I have nothing to lose now. Get in here." He closed the window again, but this time there were loud clanks and other noises that seemed to be unlocking the door, as it was opened only a few seconds later.

Roxas and Axel laid Sora on the table, and Cloud observed him with interest. "Meh, I've seen worse." He continued to observe Sora's dead body, all the while acting as though he were learning a lot about the man. Roxas tapped his foot impatiently.

"Sir," he said. When Cloud ignored him, he called out again, "Sir!"

"Hah?"

"We don't have all day."

Rolling his eyes, Cloud nearly smacked Roxas over the head. "Don't rush me, you idiot. Rush a miracle man and you get horrid miracles. You have money, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Sixty-five."

"Sheesh! I never worked for so little, except once, and that was a very noble cause."

"This is noble, sir," Roxas said, "His wife is crippled. His children are on the brink of starvation!" Cloud just raised his eye brows.

"You're a rotten liar."

"Okay, okay! I need his help to avenge my father's death."

Silence.

"Your first story was better," Cloud said with a roll of his eyes, "Fine, fine. I'll help you." The old man walked to the back of the room and rustled through a bunch of stuff, before finally emerging with a huge bellows. Roxas looked from Sora to Cloud, stupefied.

"You do realize he's dead. That's not going to do much."

"Look who knows so much. Well, it just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Please open his mouth." Roxas obliged, Cloud inserted the bellows in the dead guy's mouth, and began to pump air. "Now, mostly dead is slightly alive. Now, all dead... well, with all dead, there's usually only one thing that you can do."

"Uh, what would that be?"

He stopped pumping, "Go through his clothes and look for loose change." The two living guys exchanged looks of horror, but they didn't have time to say anything as Cloud beat them to it. "Hey! Hello in there. Hey! What's so important? What you got here that's worth living for?" He pressed lightly on Sora's chest.

"Tr... oooo... luv..." the dead man moaned, and everyone stared at him, somewhat shocked by what they'd just heard.

"True love," Roxas whispered, suddenly excited. "You heard him. You couldn't ask for a more noble cause than that!'

"True love is the greatest thing in the world. Except for a nice MLT. A mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They're so perky, I love that. But that's not what he said. He distinctly said 'to blave.' And, as we all know, 'to blave' means 'to bluff.' So you're probably playing cards, and he cheated-" Cloud said, bringing angry looks from Axel and Roxas, but they had no time to say anything as a screechy voice from another room in the house called out;

"Liar! Liar! _Liar_!"

From the back of the house, an old hag came running into the room, a furious look on her face. At one point in time, the old lady probably looked absolutely gorgeous, but now she looked as wrinkly and old as the miracle man. With as much ferocity as the woman, Cloud turned around and yelled at her

"Get back, witch-"

"I'm not a witch, I'm your wife. But after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that anymore."

"Bah! You'll never find anyone better than me!"

"'True love.' He said, 'true love,' Cloud. My God-"

Cloud retreated slightly, "Don't say another word, Tifa."

With a huff, Tifa turned to Roxas and Axel, trying to explain her husband's interesting behavior. "He's afraid. Ever since Prince Riku fired him, his confidence is shattered."

"Ugh! Why'd you say that name? You promised me that you would never say that name!"

Tifa whirled on Cloud, taking a step forward. "What, Riku? Riku. Riku. Ooo-ooo, Riku!" She exclaimed, chasing the old man around the apartment. Every time she said the name, Riku, Miracle Cloud let out a gasp of horror and tried to move away from his wife. Finally, he covered his ears.

"I'm not listening."

"A life expiring and you don't have the decency to say why you won't help-"

"Nobody's hearing nothing!"

"Riku. Riku! Riku!"

Suddenly, Roxas got an idea, and he held out his hands to stop the elderly couple from fighting anymore. When it didn't work, he called out, "But this is Kairi's true love- If you heal him, he will stop Riku's wedding!"

"Riku. Riku-" Tifa continued to chant, but Cloud put a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up!" he hissed at her before turning to Roxas. "Wait. Wait. I make him better, Riku suffers?"

"The greatest humiliation."

"That is a noble cause. Give me the sixty-five, I'm on the job."

Tifa let out a little shriek, and the two old people got to work on making the miracle. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Tifa began to coat a small pill in a deep brown liquid, finishing whatever she and her husband were up to.

A little appalled, Roxas asked hesitantly, "That's a miracle pill?" Cloud nodded, and Tifa finished coating the pill.

"The chocolate coating makes it go down easier," she explained. "But you have to wait fifteen minutes for full potency. And you shouldn't go swimming after, for at least, what?"

"An hour."

"Yeah, an hour."

"A good hour. Yeah."

Roxas accepted the pill, and Axel picked up Sora with a grunt. The two headed out of the house without a second hesitation. "Thank you for everything," Roxas said with a slight bow.

"Okay."

Tifa waved after the men, all the while saying, "Bye-bye, boys."

"Have fun storming the castle," said Cloud, joining in with the waving.

"Think it'll work?"

"It would take a miracle. Bye!"

_ "And so, Axel and Roxas gave Sora the pill, and he woke up in a miraculous miracle, so they decided to storm the castle. However, the pill didn't completely work immediately, and Sora didn't have the strength to stand at first. So, after the three men infiltrated the castle, they were stopped by Count Ellie and four of her warriors."_

_ "What about the wedding?"_

_ "Well, that was happening during all of this, and it ended in a quick way, skipping many parts of it."_

_ "So Kairi married Riku? No!"_

_ "Shut up, and let me read."_

Ellie was standing with four of her warriors behind her. On the other side of the hallway, Axel and Roxas stood, Axel holding Sora up so that he didn't fall.

"Kill the dark one and the red-head, but leave the third for questioning," Ellie muttered to the warriors. Instantly after she said this, the four men attack, but they were no match for Roxas. His sword flashed, killing all four men before they could even completely draw their swords. Then, as the men fell to the floor, Roxas held out his sword towards Ellie, and whispered;

"Hello. My name is Roxas Strife. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Ellie stood there, not saying anything, until finally she fell back into a light fighting stance, her sword drawn as though she were preparing to fight. However, instead of actually dueling Roxas, she turned around and dashed down the hallway. Roxas dashed after her, calling to Axel to help. Not wanting to leave Sora alone, laying in the middle of the hallway, Axel leaned him against a suit of armor and headed off after Roxas.

Meanwhile, halfway across the castle, Kairi opened the door to the Honeymoon Suite. She crossed the room quietly, towards the desk that sat directly under the window, and pulled out a long jeweled box. Opening it, she revealed a very dangerous looking dagger, which she pulled out and pressed to her chest, a peaceful expression on her face.

"There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours."

Kairi's eyes widened, and she whirled around, and saw Sora, laying on the bed, a sword laying next to him. Tears in her eyes, Kairi dropped the knife and ran over to Sora, leaping onto the bed and covering her lover with kisses.

"Oh, Sora!" Kairi exclaimed between kisses, "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Gently."

"At a time like this that's all you can think to say? 'Gently?'" Kairi muttered, growing more intense as the seconds passed. However, this was too much for Sora's still weak body.

"Gently!"

Kairi let go of Sora and his head banged against the headboard.

"Oh, Sora, will you ever forgive me?" Kairi asked, rubbing the back of Sora's head where he'd hit it. Sora laughed.

"And why would I need to do that? What did you do?"

"Well, I got married." Kairi hung her head in shame, "I didn't want to. It all happened so fast-"

"Don't worry. Never happened." He shot Kairi a goofy grin, but she didn't understand what he meant by that.

"What?"

"It never happened."

"But it did. I was there. This old man said, 'Man and wife.'"

"Did you say, 'I do?'"

"Well, no, we sort of skipped that part."

Sora smiled again, "Then you're not married- if you didn't say it, you didn't do it. Obviously." He paused for a second, then added, "Wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?" Kairi turned around suddenly, and there he was, standing in the doorway with his sword hanging in his hand. She whimpered a little and moved off of Sora, though her arm was still wrapped protectively around him.

"A technicality that will shortly be remedied. But first things first," Riku said, pointing his sword at Sora, "To the death!" He began to charge, but Sora said something that made him stop.

"No!" He paused dramatically, "To the pain."

Riku stopped short, cocking his head in confusion. "I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase," he said hesitantly. Sora smiled again.

"I'll explain. And I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you wart-hog-faced buffoon."

Chuckling, Riku shook his head. "You're the first person to dare insult me-"

"Oh, don't worry. It won't be the last." The silver-haired prince clenched his fist in anger. "To the pain means the first thing you lose will be your feet, below the ankles, then your hands at the wrists, next your nose."

"And then my tongue, I suppose. I killed you too quickly the last time, a mistake I don't mean to make again." Riku raised his sword slightly, posed to kill. Sora, however, stopped him in his tracks again.

"I wasn't finished," he continued, "the next thing you lose will be your left eye, followed by your right-"

"And then my ears, I understand. Let's get on with it-" He took another step forward.

"Wrong! Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why," at this point, Riku's eyes were filled with fear, but he tried very hard not to show it. "so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish- every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what "to the pain" means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever."

Riku took a hesitant step back, "I think you're bluffing."

Another smile. "It's possible, pig. I might be bluffing. It's conceivable, you miserable vomitous mass, that I'm only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. Then again, perhaps I have the strength after all."

Sora grinned, shifting in his bed. Riku's eyes widened as Sora grabbed the edge of the bed, pulling himself up. Standing up, Sora raised his weapon, eyes gleaming with amusement, and hissed, "_Drop, your, sword_!"

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, just slightly. I was in a dark room, well, a mostly dark room. A lamp in the corner was on, and the bright light seemed blinding. With a groan, I reached my hand out to cover my eyes, trying to block out the intense light that was causing a nasty headache. However, it was about then I realized the headache wasn't going to go away because it wasn't the light that was causing it.

I had no idea what was.

"Hey, Roxie, welcome back to the world."

Red's voice. I wondered briefly why I was hearing Red's voice, but a sudden memory tugged at my brain.

"You," I muttered in a slurred voice, "I had a weird dream, and you were in it." I didn't know what I was saying. All I knew, was that the dream I had just had, was probably the weirdest, creepiest thing I had ever seen.

"Oh? You had a dream about me? What was so weird about it?"

I chuckled a little bit. "We were getting along."

And then I passed out again.


	16. Humbug Resolution

**Sorry this is kinda late! I got home from school yesterday and fell asleep, then the next thing I knew it was almost 8 in the morning O.O I slept for a long, long time... *sigh* **

**Anyway, I have sad news; I'm going to be taking a break from all fanfiction starting on March 1st so I can work on my original story. This means that I'm not going to be writing, or posting, anything in Elephant for the entirety of March. Sadly. So, this is the last chapter that I'm going to post, and I know I'm guessing I'm going to lose a lot of readers since it's not going to update for fourish weeks, but that's all part of the writing game XD**

**Also, I'd like to thank my awesome new beta, Rocket-ship Romance, for helping me with this chapter :) Finally, there probably aren't any punctuation or spelling mistakes! XD**

**So yeah... **

**As always, please enjoy, and review (Thanks to everyone who has so far :D), and I'll see you guys in... uh... how ever many weeks March is!**

**Oh! Wait! One more thing! I'm having an issue. Right now I have a certain amount of chapters planned out for this story, but the number is bugging my friend because it's not a multiple of ten. What do you guys think, should I just ignore my friend with OCD issues and keep the amount of chapters I already have, or force myself to add three more because I'll never hear the end of it from her if I don't? Thanks!  
**

**Full chapter title: Humbug Resolutions

* * *

**

Okay, I was pissed.

Beyond pissed.

Absolutely furious.

And all of that rage was directed at Red, because the son of a bitch got me drunk. Yeah, you heard me; he spiked my stupid drink and got me totally wasted. He's a fucking asshole who needs to go die in a hole.

Luckily, my mother never found out, but Dad did, and he got sorta mad at me. No wait, that's wrong. He was _really_ mad at me, but after I explained to him that it was the stupid red-head who got me wasted, he calmed down a little bit and said he wouldn't tell my mom.

"Oh come on, Roxie! It was funny!" My fist clenched tightly around the pen I was using to write, and it squeaked in protest at my grip.

"Go to hell," I hissed glaring up at him. Red just smiled.

"Roxie, you don't mean that!"

"Wanna bet?"

Red placed his hands on my desk and leaned forward, just like he always did, but this time the gleam in his eyes was different than it had been before, like he was completely certain of something that I had no idea about. "Sure, I'll take that bet. After all, you seemed very into me that night. Got it memorized?" My face flushed.

"Excuse me!" I slammed my fists on my desk and stood up, no recollection of being "into" Red three nights ago. I know for a fact that I was trying very hard to get him away from me, and then we started talking and then he said he was going to go get drinks, and oh God... he probably took that as me trying to flirt with him!

I was utterly disgusted at this notion.

"You heard me. Of course, you probably don't remember that, but it happened."

"Yeah, no it didn't. You're just screwing with me." I sat down slowly again, one hundred percent sure that Red was just messing with my mind, trying to get me to confess something, though I had no idea what. There was nothing to confess.

Leaning back, Red smirked at me and said, "I might be. But who really knows."

"You do." Silence fell over us, something I certainly wasn't expecting, but after a while of this awkward silence that was extremely uncomfortable and annoying, I asked, "Why didn't my dad fire you?" Red sighed, moved away from me and went to the other side of the room, leaning against the wall.

"It's a secret."

I clenched my fist in absolute frustration. This guy was going to be the death of me. I swore that if I survived the rest of this year without dying, it would be a miracle. I mean, seriously, a miracle given to me by the gods of New Years.

"Fine. Whatever. I don't car-"

"Axel! Roxie! I need to talk to you, now!" Again, with the nickname! Sora usually didn't call me by that stupid goddamn name, but Riku seemed to enjoy pissing me off. I swear, that guy is better to be around when he's high on cough medicine, even if he does throw knives. At least he makes amazing origami, which I'm told still helps him pass the time. I think Ellie complained about it once or twice. A day.

"What do you want?" I asked as the door slammed open, revealing a very red Sora. The strange thing was, he wasn't red because of embarrassment or anger, but because he was covered in red paint that was dripping off of him as though he were melting ice. It was getting on my dad's carpet, and I had a feeling that wouldn't sit well with my father. "Also, why do you have red paint all over you?"

Sora shook his head and stumbled into the room; the first sign that something was wrong. "That's not important," the second sign that something was wrong. Sora covered in red paint was something that he should have been bragging about, or not bragging if it was a battle between him and Riku, where Riku kicked his ass without any regards for how my father would react. "It's Ellie. She just... collapsed."

….

"Excuse me?"

I was expecting those words to come out of my mouth, but instead, it was Red who spoke, his voice low, dark, and sounding as though he were about to murder Sora for bringing this news. My jaw nearly dropped at the dangerous look resonating in Red's green eyes, and he pushed away from the wall towards Sora, his arms crossed. I could tell he was shaking.

"What did you just say?"

Okay, there was something seriously wrong with Red. Never, I mean, _never_ had I seen him act like this before. It was similar to the time I asked him about his dating status, but this time he seemed scary, not just mad. Actually pissed.

"Um... Ellie... fainted. Naminé said that she and Kairi were talking to her in the lobby when she just... collapsed and-" Red didn't let him finish. He dashed out of the room, crashing into Sora before nearly knocking down the door. I stood up, most likely in shock, though I think there was something else in my thoughts... inaccessible, of course, but still, it was there. Well, I hope so because I certainly felt sick at that moment. Sora, on the other hand, was just standing in shock, staring at the swinging door with a pale face. "What just happened? Axel actually showed emotion other than-"

"Ellie's important to him," I said suddenly. Sora turned to me, eyebrow raised.

"What?" He shook his head. "I mean, I know the two of them are friends, but-"

"Re- I mean he told me once that he and Ellie have known each other for twenty-two years. I'm not really surprised he's acting this way." I was abnormally calm... why was I so calm... I mean, Ellie was a weirdo who had a strange view on life and was able to deal with Red like it was the easiest thing in the world, but she was still a friend, I think. She got me out of a few... interesting situations, and she's always been nice to me, so why wasn't I freaking out like Sora or Red?

Suddenly, I felt like I should go see what was going on for myself. "I'm going to go downstairs now...," I muttered.

"Uh... I think you should probably tell your father first." I turned to Sora.

"What?"

"Well, Kairi called me and told me what happened... I was supposed to tell you guys and Riku was supposed to tell Cloud, but he kinda freaked out like Axel and ran to go see what was happening. Which, you know, isn't surprising, but still... Cloud kinda needs to know." Sora laughed, and I briefly wondered why I had to do this, and not Sora who was sent to do Kairi's "dirty work," but it didn't seem like the moment to ask that. I had a feeling Sora wanted to go see if his friend was okay.

"Alright. I'll see you guys after I tell Dad," I said after a moment.

* * *

"Miss Elliot fainted?"

Miss Elliot? I didn't know Ellie's last name was Elliot... I wondered how many _other_ strange quirks about the people I work with that I didn't know about there were...

"Um... yeah. That's what Sora said. I figured you shou-" My dad stood up, shutting me up in an instant, and turned to look out the window at the snowy grounds behind the building. "Dad?"

He turned, blue eyes sad for a reason I didn't know. Something probably happened to him when he was a kid or something that had to do with the hospital, because he said in a quiet voice, "It's New Year's Eve. Go see if Miss Elliot is alright. You guys shouldn't even be working anyway." Yeah... that wasn't weird at all... I couldn't help but think there was something... weird about my dad that day, but I ignored it, knowing I had to get to the hospital to make sure everyone was okay.

"Alright. See ya when I get home." Dad nodded, a signal he wanted me to leave, and I was happy to oblige.

It didn't take me very long to get to the lobby, but by the time I got down there, Ellie, Riku, and Red weren't there. Of course, there were lots of other people there, mainly those who work directly with, or under Ellie, but also some people who I didn't really recognize. I assumed they were here to figure out what was going on. Or Ellie saved their asses and they're genuinely worried... the first one was more likely. However, there were three people in there I knew for a fact were extremely worried about Ellie; Sora, Kairi, and Naminé.

They were standing near the door, Sora with his arm around Kairi, and Naminé standing a few feet away from them, alone. Slowly, I made my way over to them, well, to Naminé. "Are you okay?" I asked quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Naminé jumped slightly, and turned to me, her eyes wide with sadness, and looking as though she were on the brink of tears. Not waiting for an answer, I pulled her into a hug and whispered that was it was okay.

"She's going to be alright," I whispered into Naminé's hair, more for myself, than anyone else. "This is Ellie we're talking about. She's always okay."

* * *

Hospitals scare me.

I don't know _why_ they scare me, but they do.

I think it may have something to do with the fact that every time I've been to a hospital something bad has happened to me or someone I know. I mean, the first time in my memory I was in the hospital, I ended up needing surgery to get my tonsils taken out, the second time was because my arm was broken, the third time was when my mom got the flu and I thought she was going to die.

She wasn't going to, of course, but I had a strange mind as a kid...

Plus, there's a bunch of sick, dying people in hospitals and there's... blood. I shuddered at the thought of this.

So, the fact that we were in a hospital, outside of a room where Ellie was hooked up to an I.V with an oxygen mask strapped to her extremely pale face, made me rather jumpy and nervous. Of course, the fact that it was New Year's Eve didn't help at all... wasn't this day supposed to be happy?

"Roxas? Are you alright?" Now it was Naminé's turn to be asking if I was fine. I wasn't, obviously, but she didn't need to know that. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and smiled down at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just hope Ellie's okay." Naminé nodded at my statement, and pulled away from me, heading over to the seats. I wanted to ask her the same question, but truthfully, I was afraid of the answer. I mean, I loved Naminé and everything, but I doubted I would be able to deal with her problems as well as mine... however, I knew she needed some kind of support, as she and Ellie were rather close, so I followed her over to the seats and sat down next to her. It wasn't long before she took a hold of my hand.

Now that I was sitting, it was easier for me to examine the area around me. Not very surprising, was the fact that the only people who had bothered to come to the hospital were me, Naminé, Kairi, Sora, Red, and Riku.

You know, now that I think about it, I thought this little group of people were the weirdest ones in the world, and that they had a clique going on in my dad's office was, well, horrible. But it didn't seem to take long for me to become a part of that group. Somehow, I got sucked into the vortex of weird people who work for my father, but I guess that makes sense. I mean, I'm weird, right? I guess it would be safe to say that these guys were actually my friends; good friends for that matter, and the fact that it took me seven months to figure that out is a little bit sad. You know what I mean? These people, who I ranted about to Hayner, who I wished I'd never have to meet again, had somehow replaced Hayner, Olette, and Pence, as my best friends.

When did that happen?

A sudden movement caught my eye, and I looked towards Ellie's room again, where the doctor was exiting with a disappointed look on his face. Riku immediately jumped up from where he was sitting and walked quickly to the doctor, as did Red. Sora and Kairi hung back a bit, but they did make their way slowly towards him as well. Glancing at Naminé, who nodded at me, I stood up too, and headed over to hear the news.

It didn't look like it was going to be good news.

"Are all of you friends?" The doctor asked, eying us suspiciously. Why he was so suspicious of us was a mystery to me, but I ignored it and nodded, as did everyone else. Quickly, I looked back to see if Naminé was still there, but she was gone. Strange... "Well," the doctor continued, "after the CT scan, we've discovered a bit of swelling in her brain, most likely caused by a concussion due to trauma."

_Oh shit. That sounds really bad,_ I thought to myself, clenching my fist. Everything was going so well (kinda) and now this...

"What kind of trauma." I barely recognized Riku's voice. He hadn't spoken at all since we'd gotten to the hospital, and probably for a good reason. His voice was horse, small, hushed, like he had been crying, though I highly doubted Riku would cry unless he was hyped up on cough medicine again. "What kind of trauma would do this to her?" The doctor shook his head.

"Sadly, we can't really know until she wakes up-"

"You mean if she _ever_, wakes up," Red interrupted, sounding the complete opposite of Riku. "You said there was swelling in her brain. That's why she's asleep. Her brain isn't working properly."

"Well, yes-"

"Well, what are you doing to help?"

The doctor sighed and shook his head. "She's on and anti-inflammatory right now, which should cause the swelling to go down, but we're worried that she might have inter-cranial hemorrhaging, so she's on constant observation and-" I pretty much zoned out after that point, as the doctor started talking in his strange medical lingo. I had a feeling only Red and Kairi would understand what he was really saying- one being a genius and the other training to be a nurse. There was one thing said that caught my attention though. It wasn't long after I tried to zone out when Kairi said;

"I've done studies on concussions before, and this usually doesn't happen. How hard would she have to have hit her head?" Kairi had a point there. I'd had a concussion myself, and nothing happened to me. I just felt dizzy and had trouble remembering something for a while, but it went away after a few days.

"Well, normally this kind of thing would take a massive blow to the head, but if a concussion is left untreated, it can lead to very bad things happening, like this." He gestured towards Ellie's room. "I do believe she'll be fine, but when she wakes up, she'll have to stay here for a few weeks to make sure nothing else happens." This was enough for me. On the drive over, I had gotten a call from my mother, who made me promise I would tell her what was going on. It was so weird. This whole thing with Ellie has been bringing out a strange side to both of my parents; my dad being kind and understanding, and my mom fretting like I was the one in the hospital... I wondered what could have happened to the two of them that this is how they acted...

Slowly, I backed away from the group, hoping no one would notice me, and pulled out my phone, dialing my mother's number. It was only eleven o'clock, so she was definitely up. Walking through the nearly deserted halls of the hospital, I listened to the phone ring, and then her answering machine picking up. Another strange thing. Not really paying attention, I recited what I could understand from the doctor to my mom's answering machine, then hung up, seriously hoping she wouldn't call back.

It was then I spotted Naminé, sitting on the steps in the back of the hospital, shaking. As quietly as I could, I headed over to her, not completely surprised to find that she was crying. Well, sobbing, more like.

"Nami?" I called, not sure if she wanted me to see her like this. She waved for me to go away, so naturally I sat down next to her. "You can talk to me you know. I'm a very good listener." Naminé seemed to let out a short laugh, but it was soon covered by a sob. I sighed and leaned back against the stairs, allowing my girlfriend to calm down a little bit. Finally, she fell against me, grabbing hold of my hand again.

"Ellie never acts like she's sick, or in pain. I-I don't think I've ever seen her cry, or act scared. Even as her roommate, I've never, ever seen Ellie show any kind of emotion that would make people worry about her." She looked up at me. "And now she's in the hospital. How does that work?" I really wish I had an answer for her, but I didn't. Maybe Red would have one, being a genius and all, but he and Naminé were still fighting (I _still_ hadn't figured out why), so I guessed it would be a bad thing to suggest we ask him.

We stayed silent for a time, just sitting there, holding hands like any regular couple would do, but the peace couldn't last long. It was then that Naminé's phone decided to ring. Smiling at me, she stood up and picked up her phone, answering it as though she hadn't been crying for the past ten minutes.

It amazed me how strong she was acting.

I could never do that if one of my best friends was sick like this.

"Hey, Roxie, where's Naminé going?"

It was Red. Of course. He just couldn't leave me alone, could he? I didn't really want to deal with him at the moment, but I felt the need to because someone like a sister to him was possibly dying, so instead of just ignoring him, I stood up and replied, "I don't know. Isn't she just talking on the phone?"

Red shot me a strange look. "Uh, no. She's leaving the hospital. Didn't even say goodbye to anyone and just ran out." He looked angry at this thought.

"Whoa, calm down there," I said, laughing nervously, "She's really upset about all of this, so I don't doubt she just wanted to get out of-"

"Oh, don't go making excuses for her, Roxie." Red turned on me suddenly, taking a step forward, which made me uncomfortable, and I took a step back. This was obviously the wrong move, as Red continued to move towards me, and likewise, I moved back, until I was trapped against the wall.

"Wh-What do you mean?" I asked, pressing up against the cool wall, trying very hard to become a ghost and pass through it. Sadly, that was impossible, so instead I was caged against it, Red being abnormally close to me. Again.

"Naminé has been acting like a bitch recently, and tonight is no different. She probably doesn't even care about Ellie."

Anger swelled inside me, and everything I ever wanted to say to Red came out in one burst of rage as I stomped angrily on his foot. He cringed in pain, but didn't move away from me, instead, staring at me with what I could only guess was rage equal to mine. My eyes narrowed. "Don't," I hissed, "say things like that about my girlfriend, you bastard." Red's fist banged above my head as he glared down at me, but he said nothing, so I continued. "What the hell is wrong with you. One minute you guys are acting like the best of buds, then the next it's like World War III is happening inside the office."

"Shut up," Red growled. "That isn't important."

I ignored what he said, acting as though he hadn't even spoken, "And what about today? You should me a sliver of humanity with the way you were acting with the news about Ellie, and then you come up to me and start calling my girlfriend a bitch and saying she could care less about Ellie." I grinned nastily, "I have news for you bud, Naminé probably cares more about Ellie than you do and-" I would have loved to finish my sentence, but I couldn't as Red's hand was now placed over my mouth.

"I told you to shut up." His voice was low, venomous, like it was back in the office. I knew this was getting to him, but I didn't want to stop. Not after everything this son of a bitch had done to me. Sure, earlier that evening I felt as though he were one of my best friends; well, not now. Calling Naminé a heartless bitch was the last straw for me. I could have cared less if this guy died in an accident. In fact, I wished he would, then I wouldn't be bothered by him ever again.

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, I grabbed Red's wrist and pulled his hand away from my mouth, a smirk on my face. "What's wrong? Can't take the truth? I would have though a genius like you could. Guess I was wrong." I leaned forward in a slight laugh.

At this, Red seized the collar of my shirt, and shoved me against the wall, hissing, "Don't push me." I continued to laugh, somewhat maniacally, glad that we were in a more secluded area of the hospital. Having Riku or Sora see me like this was not something I wanted, even if it probably would scare the shit out of them. I actually didn't even know I could be this malicious.

"Aw," I cooed, "is the big bad red-head angry? Ooh, I'm _so_ scared." Another laugh, echoed in the stair well.

"Roxie, I'm warning you..."

I had a feeling that my emotions were getting the better of me, cause _man_ was I acting strange at that moment, and part of me wishes I had listened and just shut up, because what happened next is something I never, I mean absolutely _never_ thought would happen.

"Look, whatever the hell your real name is, nothing you can do will affect me in any way, shape, or fo-"

Once again, I was silenced as Red yanked me forward, and everything began to spin out of control. He certainly did a good job shutting me up, but this time, it wasn't with his hand. Oh no, this time, it was with his lips. I think my mind was screaming at me to do something, but my body didn't seem like it wanted to obey. A searing fire coursed through my veins, traveling through my body, and at the core of it, there was this tangle in my stomach that just kept bigger and bigger, something I had absolutely no control over.  
The heat of our bodies quickly caused my brain to shut down. I couldn't think. I could only feel; feel Red and what he was doing.

And for some reason, I relished in it.

Finally, Red pulled away from me, breathing labored, his hot breath tickling my mouth as he spoke to me.

"My name," he whispered, his lips brushing against mine, "is Axel. Fucking. Get it. Memorized." The pressure on my collar disappeared, as did the warm body that had been pressing lightly against me, and I could only stare in shock as Re- no... Axel, walked away. He didn't even seemed phased by what just happened, just angry... irritated. At first I was in complete shock, my face burning, heart pounding, stomach turning, so I barely noticed him leave me, but after a time, I calmed down a bit, sinking to the ground as my legs turned to jelly.

_What the hell just happened?_ I thought, feeling as though my world had just been turned around. There was no way... Axel... he was...

No. He couldn't be. There had to be an explanation for what just happened. I pushed against the wall, trying to heave myself up from the ground, but it seemed like I was in shell shock, as my body pretty much refused to move. So, instead of trying, I just gave up, pretty content to just sit there and wallow away. My thoughts were so scrambled at that moment, I was surprised when my watch beeped after a time of silence, and I was even more surprised when I saw the time; 11:55. It was five minutes till midnight. Five minutes until the new year.

This small action seemed to bring my thoughts back to normal, and I suddenly remembered where I was, and why I was there; in the hospital, for Ellie.

Again, I tried to stand.

Again, I couldn't.

A sigh escaped my lips as I placed my head in my hand and nearly groaned. What was I thinking? Nothing was making much sense to me right now, especially not those, feelings I had gotten, despite the fact that Axel had already left.

Axel...

That name was so easy to remember, I didn't know how I could have forgotten it so easily.

I glanced at my watch again- four minutes till midnight.

Somewhere, deep inside me, I knew I had to force myself up, that this wasn't such a big deal that I needed to act so girly, and that I needed to be there for my friends, as Ellie was still in her coma. But another part of me, a more dominant part, was telling my conscience that going out into the main room of the hospital where everyone was would be bad, seeing as my face was probably still red, and they would all want to know where I had been.

Another peek at my watch- three minutes left.

_What the hell should I do now? _I wondered, leaning my head against the wall, breathing deeply in order to calm myself, despite already being quite calm.

_You have to talk to Axel._

There was a nasty voice in my head, most likely some kind of split personality of mine that thought they knew what was best for me, but obviously didn't as they told me to go talk to _him_. There was no way in hell I was going to do that. It would probably lead to something else strange happening. Who knew what that guy would do to me if I got close to him.

One more- one minute.

Almost miraculously, the strength in my legs returned, and I pushed myself away from the wall one last time, actually managing to stand this time.

Thirty seconds.

I made my way into the part of the hospital where everyone was gathered. It didn't surprise me at all to see that Kairi and Sora were sitting in chairs next to each other, holding hands, with Kairi resting her head against her boyfriend's shoulder, nor to see... Axel... standing alone by the window to Ellie's room, arms crossed, and it was even less surprising to me that Riku was in Ellie's room. He seemed dejected, alone, scared, worried, and about a hundred other adjectives that passed through my head the moment I saw his head hanging low, eyes seemingly shut, hands gripped tightly around Ellie's pale one, whispering to her.

I closed my eyes, wondering just what could happen now to make that poor man feel even worse.

Ten seconds.

I took a step forward silently.

Nine.

The feelings that I saw Riku having for Ellie tonight... I wondered what they really felt like.

Eight.

I'd seen it before with my parents; the two of them just sitting together on the couch, reading, saying nothing.

Seven.

But that just seemed normal, as they were married.

Six.

But Ellie and Riku were just dating, almost like it was no big deal, only I knew it was to them. Even more so than what Kairi and Sora showed, the two of them...

Five.

I could tell they loved each other.

Four.

I looked over at Axel, who too, was watching Riku, but when my eyes landed on him, it was like he could feel them as he turned to glance at me.

Three.

His eyes were soft, and I flushed, looking away from him.

Two.

Was this...

One.

"Hey, someone get in here!" Riku called suddenly. I glanced back at the room, scared to death that something else was wrong, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Ellie was stirring, trying to sit up, look around, like some kind of new year's miracle. As quickly as I could, I rushed over to the door, no longer caring that Axel had just kissed me, or that my parents had been acting weird recently, or that Naminé was still missing- none of it seemed to matter right now. When I finally managed to get to the room, Ellie was sitting up, with the help of Riku, and she was looking around in a dazed fashion.

"What the...," she muttered, pulling of the oxygen mask, "where am I-" Ellie didn't get to finish her sentence, as Riku suddenly wrapped his arms around her. "Riku? Are you crying?"

I wanted to laugh at that question. It was highly possible at this point that he was, Kairi certainly was, leaning against Sora's chest, her hands on his that were wrapped possessively around her. Axel was grinning madly, looking more like the man I'd come to tolerate over the past few months, and this caused me to smile. Ellie said something else, but I missed it as I was observing the room around me, but Riku's response certainly narrowed down what she could have said;

"Goddammit, Ellie. Don't you dare scare me like that again!"

Both Sora and I laughed at this, though Ellie still looked slightly confused, and I knew, at that moment, that I needed to stop being such a sissy and ask Axel why he did what he did. I mean, if Riku could cry, then I could do this.

I snorted to myself, realizing what my humbug resolution for this year was going to be; figure out what was going on in Axel's head.

* * *

**... yeah... XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! On April 1st, then 2nd, you guys will get to find out what's gonna happen :3 That's right, when I come back, two chapters in a row! (April 1st is a Friday, so I figured, why not?)**

**~Sunechirei  
**


	17. Hello, can't work today, still queer

**I'm sorry to say, but this story is no longer alive. Over the past month I've realized that I don't like this story, and I don't want to continue it, so there will no longer be any chapters posted.**

**Again. I'm sorry.**

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**JUST KIDDING! APRIL FOOLS DAY :D  
**

**I'm back, and better than ever! (I hope) So, here's chapter 17 of Is there and Elephant in the Room, and I hope you greatly enjoy it :D (my real authors note will be on the next chapter)**

**Again, enjoy, and review :D This chapter is from Ellie's POV, so be prepared for more things about Ellie and Riku XD  
**

**Full chapter title: Hello, can't work today, still queer.

* * *

**

"Yes, I'm aware of this, but Sir, my client is not to be held accountable if you jump off the balcony of a two story room and break your leg. That's on you, not my client," Ellie sighed, staring out the window with a frustrated expression played out on her face. "No… no, Sir, please listen to me, I know-" she let out a yelp as a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and the phone was taken from her hand.

"Hello Sir, I appreciate you talking to our lawyer before suing us, but really, is there any point? Nothing she says is going to change your mind, and I would appreciate if you would leave her alone as she's in the hospital right now. Thanks. Bye."

Ellie nearly growled, struggling against Riku's tight grip that kept her locked against his body. In his other hand, Ellie's cell phone had been snapped shut and was held high above her head, almost tauntingly. Her boyfriend smiled down at her before pocketing the phone.

"You, little missy, should be in bed," Riku said, "you're still recovering from a concussion." He reached down quickly and picked Ellie up bridal style, extracting a small screech from the woman. "You really want to almost die again?"

With a huff, Ellie wrapped her arms around Riku's neck, leaning away from him slightly, and said, "I didn't almost die. You're being melodramatic again." He grinned and took a step towards Ellie's hospital bed.

"Well," he began, his voice lowering slightly, "can you really blame me? You scared the shit out of me. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." He closed his eyes and finished walking to the bed. "Now then, let go of me." Confused, Ellie obliged, but regretted it almost immediately as Riku tossed her on the bed.

"Oi! Whatever happened to me being injured and needing to rest?"

Riku laughed, pushing Ellie down on the bed as she tried to get up again. "I'm trying to get you to rest, but it's very difficult when you're being annoying and attempting to do your work," he scolded. Now irritated beyond all belief, Ellie stuck out her tongue, and Riku laughed again, ruffling her hair. "Wow, childish much?" His teasing tone was laced with affection, something that Ellie noticed immediately, and it caused her to blush.

"Shut it," she muttered, crossing her arms and pulling her legs up to her chest as she glared up at Riku.

He was the only person she had ever run into that could make her feel embarrassed like this, and of course, it always pissed her off when he tried to ridicule her during work, and even now, anyone could just randomly walk in and see that she was flushed. Surely four years of telling him to stop being like that would change a guy. But it didn't.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed, you know that, right?" Ellie wanted to murder her boyfriend at this point.

"I am _not_ cute. Don't say that."

"Stop being so hard on yourself. You're absolutely adorable." He placed one hand on the headboard of the bed, and the other on Ellie's shoulder as he leaned down to kiss her. She responded to him easily, her own hands coming up to rest against his face lightly. One week of being in the hospital was not good for a woman, especially when her boyfriend visited everyday and they could only kiss.

Ellie was sure it was messing with Riku as well, but he had been acting reserved recently, and even now, he pulled away from her, despite the groan of protest.

He laughed again, this time at the nasty look he was getting, and walked over to the other side of the room with a smirk on his face. Ellie, on the other hand, was glowering. "Thanks, Riku. Thanks a lot. You just _love_ teasing me like that, don't you."

Messing with the flowers that Ellie had received from her adoptive father, Riku muttered something to himself which the sick woman didn't hear, so she asked him what he said. All he did was laugh and look at his watch.

"Oops. Sorry. Gotta go. Cloud only gave me an hour to come visit you, which is annoying, because it takes a long time to get here."

"What? Oh come on. It's Saturday. You _never_ work on Saturdays," Ellie protested, turning to sit on the bed. In an instant, Riku was by her side again, pushing her down onto the bed. "Hey! Let me get up!"

Letting out a little laugh, Riku kissed Ellie again, which caused her to submit and fall back onto the bed. "You're sick," he muttered after pulling away, "you really think I'm just going to let you get out of bed and collapse again? Like I said, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

He pushed away from her, a smile on his face, but Ellie just sighed. "You're impossible. I made a mistake, alright?I had no idea that hitting my head against a cabinet by accident would cause me to get a concussion. I'm sorry. I'm only human."

"You won't be if you don't take care of your body," Riku said, rolling his eyes as he turned to leave. "Corpses aren't very good at living, you know." Ellie grabbed the pillow from underneath her head and threw it at Riku, though he dodged before it actually hit him. Laughing, he continued with, "If you want to get out of the hospital sooner, then stop getting out of bed and just do what the doctors say. 'Kay?"

Ellie muttered a 'shut up' under her breath, then crossed her arms and leaned back. She ignored Riku as he waved goodbye, even though she desperately wanted to jump him right then and there.

One more week. She had one more week of laying in a dull bed, in a quiet hospital where nothing interesting happened. Didn't seem like a long time to a lot of people, but to Ellie, who ran four miles almost every morning, was a lawyer for a very successful company, and had a boyfriend who she had a very physical relationship with, it was a long, long, _long_ time.

Time she wanted to spend living her life, not being observed by doctors. Sure, she had fainted after hitting her head, but that didn't mean it would happen again. Not to mention the fact that her symptoms had gone away completely, she was on medicine for the concussion, and everyone was waiting for her to come back to work.

Being in the hospital was just hindering her, not helping. Ellie was convinced that she could go home and rest there with the same results as staying in the hospital. Laying in bed was pointless, especially since she had a guy who was trying to sue Cloud because he was an idiot and jumped off a balcony for sport.

No one else in the main building knew how to handle idiots like that, or, at least not in the way the Ellie needed them to. If he actually took this stupid case to court, it would cost a lot of money, money that the company didn't need to waste for some idiot.

Of course, the only other person who would be able to get this guy to drop the case would be Eraqus, the other lawyer, but he was on vacation and wouldn't be back for another two months.

He just had perfect timing.

Sighing, Ellie crawled under her light blue covers and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would overcome her, but of course, it didn't. She had too much on her mind for sleep to come.

So instead she slipped out of bed, glad Riku wasn't there to push her back because she had work to do.

Stepping lightly across the cold floor she made her way across the room to the bureau that stood alone in the corner, but it wasn't empty. Ellie had hidden some work in there after Roxas had been kind enough to bring it to her. Of course, it had to be hidden, because there was a high chance Riku would confiscate it when he found out. He had been so anal about keeping Ellie resting that it was driving her slightly insane.

Once she had reached the cabinet, she tapped her fingers on the top, debating whether or not she actually _wanted_ to do work. It was such a difficult decision. Slowly, she began to open the top drawer where the papers were when...

"You know, Riku would kill you if he knew you were hiding your work in there." Ellie's hand slid over the front of the drawer she had just opened, and slammed it shut, whirling around as though her life depended on it.

Leaning against the doorway was Axel, arms crossed across his black, punk t-shirt, a file folder handing from one hand. A grin spread across his face as he pushed off the door-frame and headed over to Ellie.

"Oh God, Axel. I thought you were some kind of mass murderer. Don't startle people like that," Ellie growled, yanking open the drawer again. She ruffled with the papers inside, looking for something random to do while she was stuck in this hellhole.

With a laugh, Axel replied, "No, you thought I was Riku. Which is weird, because I said Riku's name." He finished walking over to her in a few strides and held out the folder. "You know, there's an easier way to do your work while you're here."

"If you have any brilliant ideas, I'm all ears," Ellie replied. She took the folder from her red-haired friend with a sigh and opened it up. She quickly scanned over it, face dropping with every sentence. "Um... Axel?" She turned towards him, eyebrows raised and folder held up, "What is this?" Ellie closed the folder and placed it on the bureau. "I thought I told you that you needed to drop-"

"Yeah, but before you told me that, you promised you would help me."

"That was ten years ago. You know, when we you graduated from high school and you found out that-"

Axel quickly closed the distance between him and Ellie and placed his hand over her mouth. "Not here you idiot! Anyone could be listening, and you know, I really don't want some random nurse or doctor knowing about my personal life!" Ellie rolled her eyes and pushed Axel away from her, uncovering her mouth in the same instance.

"Not here? If you didn't want me to talk about it, why would you bring this-"

"Because you're here."

Sighing, Ellie snatched up the file and began reading it again, eyes barely skimming the words as she muttered to herself about how stupid Axel was being. After reading the first page, she walked back to her bed, head shaking sadly. "Look, Axel, I know you really want this, but you said you were letting it go."

"I _was_ letting it go. Then I found this," Axel explained. He followed Ellie to her bed and collapsed in the chair next to it. "Do you know how long-"

"Fifteen years, two weeks, and five days. Ever since that party your dad's forced you to go to," Ellie muttered, curling into a ball. "This information... it's so detailed..." Biting her lip, she turned to Axel, eyes wide. "There's no way you just came across this. You've still been searching, even though you _promised_ me-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I promised to leave it alone. _But_, I came across something, and I dug deeper, and voila!" He leaned forward and tapped the paper. "This could help me find him! I could actually-"

"No! Drop it, Axel." Ellie leaned forward as she threw the file on the bed. "You need to move on or you're just going to fall into a pit of despair and hurt all the people who care about you!"

"Oh? People care about me? Like who?"

A silence fell over the two. Axel was sitting there, absolutely furious, and Ellie's hands clenched around the blanket next to her. She looked down at her knees, feeling a harsh sting at the back of her throat as tears formed at her eyes. "Get out," she hissed, trying hard not to let her voice crack. Axel's angry expression disappeared in an instant, his face over coming with confusion.

"W-What?"

"Get the hell out of my room."

Axel stood up. "W-Wait. I'm sorry. Ellie I didn't mean-"

"I said get out," Ellie screeched, grabbing the file and throwing it at Axel. Tears flowed down her face, a sure sign to Axel that Ellie was seriously upset, and that he needed to leave. Without another word, Axel grabbed the folder and walked out of the room, leaving Ellie alone with her thoughts. Curling into a ball, Ellie did everything she could to stop the tears from leaving her eyes. Three years ago, when Axel had been hired by Cloud, he promised Ellie that he wouldn't go searching for things in their past. Both of them had agreed to let go of what had happened to them as kids.

But she knew, somewhere, that he couldn't.

She cared about Axel, a lot, like he was her brother, and to see him obsess over something that could hurt him, was in turn, affecting Ellie. She'd always wondered what Axel did while he was supposed to be working, and now she felt as though she knew.

* * *

Another five days passed with Ellie in the hospital, leaving her extremely agitated. Despite Riku telling her that she only had two days left, Ellie felt as though the time was going by slower than the last week of high school. Two days... Ellie didn't feel as though she could survive for that long, especially with all the work that was being dumped on her.

"-and this is the last thing my dad wanted me to give you," Roxas finished, biting his bottom lip. "Sorry about all this. Apparently a hotel business can't run without a lawyer..." Laughing, Ellie took the last piece of paper from Roxas and placed it on her bed, not feeling any kind of amusement at all.

"It's fine, Roxie. This is what I was hired for." She laughed again. "So, I'm guessing you have to go now?" No one every stayed for very long, as they had work to do, or dinner to prepare, or strange obsessions that caused their best friend to never want to speak to him again. Axel, being the last one, of course.

Roxas continued to bite his lip before plopping down in the seat next to Ellie's bed. Confused, she looked over at him, wondering just what was going on. "Um... actually, I have a question for you..." Roxas muttered, somewhat hesitantly. Ellie picked up the cup of water next to her bed and took a small sip.

"Sure. What do you need?" waved her hand as a beckon for Roxas to continue speaking. The teen opened his mouth to speak, and after a moment of hesitation, said;

"You know um... how do I... um...," Roxas stuttered, his cheeks painting a light pink. Ellie smirked, then took a wild stab at what Roxas wanted.

"Does this have anything to do with Axel?" Roxas' face turned a deeper shade of red, and he nodded. Ellie laughed. "Alright, what do you want to know? Is he lazy? Why doesn't he ever help you with work? Why is he adopted?"

"Is he... gay?"

The water draining down Ellie's throat suddenly got caught in her trachea, and she began coughing, trying desperately not to choke. She had _not_ been expecting Roxas to ask that question. Dense, stupid, young, Roxas, was finally wondering if Axel was gay. Had it seriously taken him this long? After nearly choking to death, much to the concern of Roxas, Ellie looked up.

Roxas' face was even more flushed than before, and Ellie groaned. "Oh shit. What did Axel do to you?"

"Nothing," Roxas cried indignantly, standing up. His teeth clenched, obviously embarrassed, but he sat down again. "Well? Is he?" All Ellie really wanted to do was laugh at the poor teen. There's no doubt Axel did do something to the poor guy, but Ellie wasn't going to push Roxas. She wasn't _that_ mean.

"Yes, Roxas. He is. I can't believe you haven't noticed this before." Ellie placed her cup on the table next to her and picked up the papers again as Roxas muttered something. Looking over at him, Ellie asked, "What was that? Did you say something?"

"_Shut up_."

"I take it whatever Axel did to you isn't something you really want to talk about, so I'm just going to assume it was embarrassing, and finally made you realize something you should have noticed months ago." She glanced over at Roxas, wondering how he was taking the news, and much to her surprise, he had no reaction at all. He was just sitting there, a blank expression on his face, not saying anything at all, and Ellie wondered for a second if he was even breathing. He was, of course, but it still worried her. "Roxas?"

Suddenly, the boy stood up, grabbing his coat as he went. "Thanks, Ellie. I really appreciate it. Um... I have to... I have to go now." Ellie scoffed at the boy's sentence.

"See ya."

"Yeah."

Roxas had finally figured out Axel was into guys, though she highly doubted he knew that Axel really, really, _really_, wanted to get into Roxas' pants. That might come later, though, and Ellie was kinda looking forward to it when it happened.

* * *

"Hey, Ellie, can I talk to you?"

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"Go away, Axel."

"Please? Please, please, please, please, please?"

"Alright, fine. What do you want?"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"... Are you going to give up?"

"No... sorry, I can't do that."

"Axel..."

"Look, Ellie, this is important to me. I know you've let go, but I haven't... I need this."

"... Fine."

"Is all forgiven?"

"Axel, you're my best friend. I can't stay mad at you for _that_ long."

"Ha! I knew you couldn't!"

"Oh shush."

* * *

**And tomorrow, chapter 18 :) Want a preview?**

"You're really bad at listening, aren't you?" Again, my arm was grabbed, and Axel dragged me out of the hotel. It was much colder when we walked outside to the parking lot, and snow had begun to fall in sheets. Axel looked absolutely furious. "Fuck!"

...

"_Mr. Lea won't drive back?_" On the other side of the phone, I heard my father sigh, "_I should have guessed that would happen. Alright. I understand._"

...

"What do you mean?" He didn't reply, just shaking his head. Silence fell over us,and I continued to watch Axel's back, feeling completely calm. There was something strange about me tonight, like I'd been possessed or something along those lines. I especially wondered if that was true when I asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

...

**:) See you tomorrow!  
**

**~Sunechirei**


	18. You never know

**Why hello there readers of this somewhat wonderful story. I, Sunechirei, am back from my one month hiatus with a somewhat new writing style, and a definite new love for this story :D See, last week I had this thing called State Testing, and thanks to the wonderful 30 minutes of nothing to do after all three tests for five days, I had plenty of time to read my own story. **

**So I'm excited now :D**

**Now then, let me tell you, I chose the right month to take a break because MAN was I busy. First, I lost all motivation to write my stories, then I had the three show nights of the school musical, plus we started our spring play, then my friend had a seizure, and I spent a few days in LA over Spring Break with no internet access, then I had to take four wonderful days of state testing, plus I found out that I have about 18 different anxiety disorders, including OCD and PTSD, then I had about four mental break downs, seven projects due for school, I almost fainted while getting my blood drawn (which has never happened before) and I got my writing mojo back and started a new story and worked on another one...**

**Sadly, during this time I only wrote ten pages of my original story... I don't know why, I just can't figure out how to write chapter 2...**

**But yeah :D  
**

**Alrighty, I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers who kept me wanting to write this story when I lost all motivation to, and my beta who helped me make this chapter better :) (despite the fact that I only got ONE frikin review for the last chapter -_- seriously people... if you want me to continue posting this story, you're going to have to give me feedback) **

**Also, I want to put out there that I'm taking one shot requests :) If you want me to write something, just let me know. **

**One more thing; Starting with this chapter, and really continuing through the rest of the story, there are going to be references to very mature things. I don't show anything, because I'm only 16 and too embarrassed to write something like that, but I'm wondering if you guys think I should make this fic rated M. With the cussing, and the content, it's a very tempting thing to do... **

**So yeah, read, enjoy, review, and I'll see you guys in one weeks time :D**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: You never know how many inches you'll get, or how long it's gonna last (kudos to withnospaces for the chapter title, and get your dirty minds out of the gutter. I'm talking about snow.) :P  
**

* * *

My back was leaned against the side wall of the elevator, and I couldn't help but wonder why in the world my father wished to see me in his office so early in the morning when I was supposed to be doing my work.

I hadn't done anything wrong recently (I think). I was giving Ellie, who was still bed ridden, though no longer in the hospital, daily news on what was going on in the office, and all of my work was actually getting done on time, now that Axel was avoiding me.

Or, I think he was avoiding me. It's hard to tell when you never see someone. But anyway, here I was, listening to crappy elevator music, on my way to the top floor where my dad's office resided.

I decided there was something seriously wrong with this situation. Of course, nothing had really been right since New Years, and that whole deal with Axel (it's weird calling him that... I'm so used to "Red"), and even three weeks after that... um... event, the air between the two of us was so awkward you would have had to cut the air with a butcher's knife just to walk through the room.

Yeah, it's that bad.

Naminé seemed happy though. I'd found her later on New Years, hanging outside the hospital with tear stained eyes, hiccuping from having cried so much, and I didn't have the heart to tell her what Axel had said, nor what he did to me. However, I was extremely happy to say to her that Ellie was awake, and healthy, which cheered my girlfriend up right away. In fact, she was so happy that she jumped me, planting a long kiss on my lips.

For some reason, it didn't bring the same feelings that Axel had...

Back to Naminé.

When work started the next day, she immediately noticed that Axel had been avoiding my floor, staying away from me, and it certainly helped lift her mood. Of course, this just confirmed some of my suspicions, and I felt horrible for being so dense that I didn't notice why Naminé and Axel were fighting in the first place.

When I think back to everything that happened, it was completely obvious that Axel was... you know, flirting with me. I can't believe I didn't notice for seven months, and even then I wasn't one hundred percent sure of this until I talked to Ellie.

Let's just say, I felt really stupid after leaving the hospital last week.

Of course, this whole issue between me and Axel wasn't all fun and games. Naturally, Riku and Sora had picked up on the tension, and for some strange reason, they were convinced my stupid co-worker and I had had sex... How strange is that? Did they really, honestly think I was gay? How stupid can two people get?

Honestly.

I had a girlfriend, who I loved very much, and I've never, in anyway, ever, been attracted to, or had feelings for, Axel. Well, except when he kissed me, but come one! Anyone would turn red and get knots in their stomach if someone they worked with suddenly showed intense emotion towards them.

Guy or girl.

Right?

This thought remained in my head as I stepped out of the elevator. Much to my surprise, Kairi was missing, and my father's door was wide open; two things that never happened, so of course, I was curious as to what was going on. Slowly, I walked to the door, slightly terrified about what my father wanted with me. I really had a reason to be afraid, but I didn't know that at the time.

"That's an interesting look," Dad commented when he saw me. "Is there a reason for it, or are you just being strange?" I cocked my head, not sure what he was talking about, at least I didn't until I realized he was probably talking about the fact I was scared, so I just shook my head in a reassuring manner.

"It's nothing," I muttered with a shrug. "Just wondering what's going on." Beckoning to the strangeness that was Kairi's empty desk and Dad's open doors, I raised my eyebrows questioningly. My father sighed.

"It's Miss Takedo's day off. She does get those every now and then." That made sense, I guess. Though I'd never seen Kairi take a day off. There must have been something important going on, or she was just tired and wanted to stay home. I wouldn't put that past her...

Satisfied with my father's answer, I finished walking into his office, and sat down in one of the chairs that was placed in front of his desk. Dad was writing something down, so I decided to wait patiently and see what was going to happen.

However, I got bored very quickly (I doubt even five minutes had passed), so I asked, "What exactly did you want from me?" Almost as though I'd broken my father out of a trance, his head snapped up and he blinked, dazed. Needless to say, I was very confused.

"What do I want?" He questioned, almost to himself. "Well, you're going to have to wait for another few minutes before I tell you."

A feeling of dread began bubbling in the pit of my stomach. "Why," I queried, leaning back in my chair. "Do you have some kind of creepy plan for me?" Dad placed his pen on the desk, and he leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands.

"First of all, I'm your boss, but I'm also your father. You don't need to question what I have planned, or my motives. Not until you're older, in any case."

"Oh, great," I muttered, my arms crossing slowly. For all I knew, he could be planning to sell me off to some random guy in the streets, though I don't know how Mom would react to that; she would either celebrate or kill Dad...

We sat in silence for another few minutes, the time ticking by ever so slowly, causing me to go slightly insane. There was only so much of waiting I could take, despite being extremely patient. Finally, I heard rustling outside of the door, so I turned, and you'll never guess who I saw standing in the doorway;

That's right, Axel.

The two of us stared at each other for a minute, an eerie silence falling over the entire room, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. After a moment, both Axel and I said at the exact same time, "What the hell is he doing here?" Another silence, before my father chuckled.

"I guess I was right..." he muttered to himself, placing his pen on the table and pushing back in his chair. As he stood up, I was tempted to ask him what he was right about, but I figured it wouldn't end well so I kept my mouth shut.

Axel, on the other hand, wasn't as smart as I was, and he asked the very obvious question, to which my father replied, "Nothing. I just noticed there was something going on with you two, but it's not important." Not important? Sure... if Dad noticed it, then it was obviously important to him.

"So, what are we here for?" Axel's voice was a low hiss, and he stayed in the doorway, though that didn't seem to surprise me for some reason. It might have something to do with the fact that he had been avoiding me completely for the past two weeks, so now that he was here with me, it wasn't exactly fun for him... "Please tell me this isn't-"

"I have a job for you two," Dad began, and I groaned.

The last time I had been told this, I ended up in a car, with Axel, for two hours, on the way to Hallow Bastion, where I ended up dealing with a crazy blue-haired man with a death wish for me. There was no way this could end up well. "Roxas, don't complain, this is very important."

I raised my eyebrows, showing dad my obvious disapproval of what was going to go down, and I said, "Seriously? Please tell me you're not going to make me drive to Hallow Bastion with _him_ again." I could tell my father wasn't happy with what I'd just said, and neither was Axel, who growled.

"No, I'm not." Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat back in my chair, figuring we just had to do some kind of paperwork, but of course, I relaxed too soon, "I need you two to go to Twilight Town this time." One more long minute of silence, then;

"Oh fucking shit!"

In an instant, I spun around, completely surprised that it was Axel who had spoken, and not me. That seemed to be happening a lot recently. But what was more shocking, was that Axel had actually used profanity.

Never, in my memory, had I _ever_ heard him cuss. My father also seemed surprised by what had just been said, as he had a blank expression on his face. If only I had a video camera.

"Mr. Lea? Is everything alright?"

Axel clenched his teeth, and his fists, but nodded. An obvious lie. My dad took it, however, sighing.

"Well then, I guess you two won't mind the three hour drive, starting in half an hour?" I wanted to kill my father.

He knew, I know he knew, that neither me, nor Axel, wanted to be near each other. I was sure that was why he was forcing us to do this, and it wasn't going to end well... no way in hell would that happen...

Wait; _three hours!_ If I hadn't been sitting in a chair, I probably would have collapsed without another word.

I had to spend three entire hours stuck in a car with Axel, while the two of us were awkwardly avoiding each other. The two of us in a closed distance for a long period of time would probably only aggravate the situation, which I was desperately trying to figure out a way to fix.

"So, if neither of you have any objections-"

"I have an objection to this," I muttered, and then was silenced by Dad.

"I meant, if either of you want to keep your jobs, then take this, and get the hell out of here," Dad told the two of us, holding out a folder that obviously meant we were actually going to do work, not some surprise visit.

I wanted to know what was going on, but when I took the folder from my dad, I was too afraid to open it. As I stood, I slowly became aware of the fuming Axel standing next to me.

When he'd gotten the nerve to move forward and place his hands on the other chair in front of Dad's desk, I probably missed, seeing as I was completely and totally infuriated by what my father was suggesting.

Anyway, back to Axel.

He was leaning forward, his hands on the back of the chair, fists clenched, and he slowly asked my father, "Can't I just go by myself?"

That actually hurt. I mean, sure, he was avoiding me, most likely because he didn't want me to ask him why he'd kissed me, but asking Dad, in front of me, if he could go on this weird mission alone? Well, I felt as though I were getting punched in the stomach.

The feeling was annoying, of course, but for some reason there was more to it than that, almost like something inside of me was being torn apart, and I wanted to cry.

Okay, forget I said that.

I didn't want to cry, I wanted to tear Axel limb from limb for being such an ass by asking that question, but I managed to control myself, somehow, and stood up.

"If you could go alone, I wouldn't be here, now would I?" I pointed out, turning to leave. "Half an hour, right? Well, I'm going to get ready to go." Waving, I added, "See ya," and headed out of the room.

* * *

"Wait, what?"

I cringed slightly, realizing that the news of me going on a field trip with Axel, wasn't exactly something I should have told Naminé. The anger flashing in her eyes was absolutely terrifying, and it caused me to nearly wet my pants, though I never would. Slowly, I took a step back from her, laughing.

"Look, it's not that big a deal. Chances are, neither of us will actually talk unless we absolutely need to. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen," I reassured, patting her on the shoulder.

Long hair swished over Naminé's shoulders as she looked down at her feet.

"Nami?" I couldn't understand why she was acting the way she was. Nothing had _ever_ happened between me and Axel, well, except for New Years, but that's a different story, and Naminé knew absolutely nothing about it.

"You don't understand, Roxas," Naminé whispered so quietly I could barely hear her. "Axel... I don't know what's come over him recently, but ever since we started going out, he's been acting like I'm a horrible person-" I couldn't help but think at this point that Naminé hadn't exactly been nice to Axel, but my subconscious pushed it down, which was a good thing, "-and he's been trying to get really close to you... He could use this time to try and break us up-"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to keep the fear in my voice from really showing up. "What could he do to cause me to break up with you?" I laughed, stroking Naminé's cheek. "That's a ridiculous idea." My girlfriend still looked unsure about my commitment, which was somewhat irritating, but I let it go, instead, leaning in to kiss her.

That seemed to be good enough for her. She relaxed in an instant, and even after I broke the kiss, she seemed happier than before, though not by much.

"Okay," Naminé whispered, "I guess there's nothing to be worried about." I grinned, nodding at her before I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oi, lovebirds, this is work, not a motel. Break it apart," an annoyed voice growled from behind me.

Immediately, I recognized it as Axel, so instead of obliging to his irritated request, I squeezed Naminé tighter for a moment, then kissed her again. Somewhere in the back of my head, I think I did that just to see what Axel's reaction was going to be, but why I would do it for that reason didn't exactly surface, so of course, it got pushed deep into my conscience. There was no way I would care what Axel's reaction would be to me kissing my girlfriend.

Strange...

Suddenly, there's was pressure at the back of my collar, and I was yanked away from Naminé, as Axel hissed somewhat calmly, "We have somewhere to be in three hours. There's no time for you to be lovey dovey."

As I was dragged across the floor towards the front door, I waved goodbye to Nami, who once again had her eyes narrowed and a frown had crossed her face, which I wished wouldn't be there, but what could I do? Axel was a hell of a lot stronger than I was.

Stupid gym which I never go to...

"Hey, is it really necessary to drag me? I'm willing to come by myself." It was only after I said that sentence, that I realized how _perverted_ it sounded. Axel too, noticed this, but his only reaction was a small grin. He certainly didn't act the way I thought he would...

"Don't talk," Axel muttered, though I could tell he was trying not to laugh, "and at that moment, yes, it was." He let go of my collar, and continued towards the parking garage, a light smile on his face, which he obviously attempted to hide. There was something about that smile... it was like a fire was burning inside my chest, almost as though I wanted to-

Never mind that.

"Why can't I talk?" I asked, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I could fix the strange relationship we once had; make it normal again. However, when Axel didn't reply, I pretty much gave up, instead, following him to his car.

* * *

Three hours later, and absolutely nothing had been accomplished. As soon as we got into the car, Axel had turned on the radio, made it so the volume was really loud, then began his crazy, random, driving that made me feel sick.

I guess that if I really wanted to, I could have turned off the music, but I feared I would get hit (or hit on) if I tried anything, so I sat there, for three hours, and said nothing as we drove to Twilight Town.

Speaking of Twilight Town, I was pretty sure it would be interesting to see the place where my three best friends were born.

I always found it strange that that was the case. I mean, I first met Hayner in pre-school when he stole my cookies, then Pence in third grade after Hayner poured a bucket of potato salad on him and I ended up helping the poor new guy clean up. After all that, we met Olette three years later, though we only became friends after I decided it wasn't fun anymore to make fun of her.

All three of these people were born in Twilight Town, and moved to Radiant Garden at different times, and I managed to become friends with them. I didn't find that weird at all...

So, when we got to the wonderful seaside city, I was amazed at how beautiful the place was. I think my nose was stuck to the side window as we passed by the small buildings made of golden-orange bricks, water fountains with icy spouts of frozen liquid, the strange tram that still moved, even though there was an inch of snow on the ground, and children running around in the fresh white layer of snow, probably happy to not be in school. It was strange to see such a calm, simple little town, and it was even weirder to know that Hayner was born here.

Of course, the fact that Axel had turned off the music and was now pulling into the parking lot of a small hotel, didn't help at all with how awkward I was feeling at that moment. Three hours we hadn't spoken, and three hours the two of us stayed completely silent, so why he was turning off the music now-

"I need to talk to you," Axel said suddenly, turning off the car. We were alone in the parking, or I thought so anyway. No other cars were anywhere near us, and the hotel seemed completely vacant.

"Um... okay," I muttered as I unbuckled my seat belt. "But, we kinda need to go in there right now, so why couldn't you have said anything during the car ride? We had three hours you know." Waiting for a reply seemed boring, so instead, I opened the door and slid out of the car, not really wanting to hear a response to that. Well, more like I was scared. Scared that Axel would say something I wasn't expecting, which was obviously what was going to happen.

So, I began walking towards the building, but had to stop when a warm hand wrapped around my arm, yanking me around so I face Axel. I hadn't even noticed Axel getting out of the car, so I was very surprised when I was suddenly only inches away from the tall, red-haired man who'd kissed me not long ago.

Naturally, my face turned pink.

"I said," Axel whispered, "I need to talk to you."

It took all of my will power to pull away from Axel, but I managed it, and replied to him with, "And I said, you should have done it earlier." As I walked away, I muttered, "If you really want to talk, wait until we're heading home." He said nothing else, leaving me to head to the building without another word. My stomach was turning from the close contact, but I tried to ignore it as we had another issue to deal with.

The entire reason why my father had sent us down here was because someone was stealing from this hotel. Riku had noticed this somewhere along the way, and he reported it to Dad.

I supposed that normally this would be Ellie's job, but seeing as she's still bed-ridden, I wasn't surprised it got passed down to me, and Axel. Then again, Riku should really be the one who should have come down, but...

* * *

Axel mentioned nothing else about needing to talk to me as we talked to the random guy running the front desk of the hotel. Turns out, we got nothing done the entire time we were there because no one wanted to talk to us.

Worst, five hours of my life.

That's right. We spent two hours trying to get answers out of the strange, creepy man who seemed terrified of Axel, and kept giving me these weird demonic looks. I think he wanted to kill me.

Luckily, the fear that he got from Axel kept him from doing anything to me, though it did cause me to wonder why someone had a death wish for me...

"This is pointless. Let's go." Axel stood, beckoning for me to follow. I nodded and followed suit, nodding at the guy, despite the evil look I was being given.

"Thank you for your tim-"

"You're really bad at listening, aren't you?" Again, my arm was grabbed, and Axel dragged me out of the hotel. It was much colder when we walked outside to the parking lot, and snow had begun to fall in sheets. Axel looked absolutely furious. "Fuck!"

Man, Axel was just cussing his brains out! It was so weird.

I snorted at Axel's strangeness, and I asked, "What's wrong? Don't like snow?"

"Nope. Don't like rain, don't like snow..."

"So, why do you live in Radiant Garden?" The answer to that question was left unsaid, and Axel turned sharply to head back into the lobby area. "Hey," I called after him, "where are you going?"

"There's no way I'm driving in this weather, and don't even _think_ about saying you'll drive, so I'm going to get some place to stay for tonight. Got a problem with that, Blondie?"

I wanted to say yes, but he was kinda right. I couldn't even see two feet in front of me as I stared out at what once was a beautiful city evening, plus, it was already past seven, and a three hour car ride back didn't really sound like fun, especially since Axel said he wanted to talk to me.

So, in the end, I decided to follow Axel's idea, and I walked into the lobby of the hotel. When I got in there, I saw Axel, talking to the guy who looked as though he wanted to kill me, and the guy had an expression of pure fear on his face.

It was kinda entertaining, I had to admit. After arguing with him for a while, Axel said an irritated thank you, and then spun around to head out of the building.

"Oi, Roxie," Axel called out as he walked towards me, "call your dad and tell him that we're not going to be able to come back. Got it memorized." The last sentence caused me to flush as I remembered New Year's Eve again, but I nodded anyway, hoping Axel didn't notice my strange embarrassment.

Walking out of the building, I pulled out my phone and dialed my father's number, not really wanting to, but I knew that terrible things would happen if my parents didn't know where I was, especially since my mom was weird and seemed to be completely convinced that I was going to die or something. I never really got my family.

Anyway, as the phone rang, I observed the area around me, noting how this hotel was much different than the others my dad owned. This was mainly because all of the rooms led outdoors, like some kind of motel, but there was also this odd air hanging around the place, like no one really ever came here, and I became convinced there had been a murder sometime.

This, of course, wasn't actually true, but hey, I was bored, slightly terrified, and embarrassed for reasons I couldn't understand; I had a right to come up with weird things about the place I was staying for the night.

_"Is there a problem, Roxas?" _

My dad always seemed to answer the phone with the strangest things. Well, _when_ he answered the phone. He was so bad at it that Mom had declared when I was little, that if Dad didn't answer, and he didn't have a good excuse, there would be consequences. Of course, as I was little, I had no idea what the consequences were, but as I got older….

"Um… well, there's this huge snow storm down here and-"

_"Mr. Lea won't drive back?"_ On the other side of the phone, I heard my father sigh, _"I should have guessed this would happen. Alright. I understand."_

For an anti-social, messed up, business owner, my dad was certainly observant and sympathetic. Before I could say another word, he hung up, leaving me to hear just a dial tone. Another thing he was bad at; saying goodbyes….

With a shake of my head, I turned around to see Axel standing there, holding out a card key for me. As I took it, he withdrew his hand quickly, not even letting it brush against mine, which was weird in its own terrifying way.

"Thanks?" Whatever happened to him needing to talk to me? And why was he being so reserved? Was he plotting something?

I certainly thought he was, because after that I took off in a hurry, leaving Axel staring silently after me.

* * *

Three hours of sitting in a room, by yourself, with nothing to do, does strange things to a person. I almost wished I'd forced Axel to drive us back to Radiant Garden, but there was no way I could do that without sounding like a complete idiot. However, one good thing it does, it make you think, so I got a lot of thinking done; about my life, about Axel, about my parents, my friends.

Let's just say by the time it was nine, I wanted to kill myself I was so bored.

As I lay sprawled out on the single bed, a knock resonated from the door, sending me flying up, confused. _Who the hell could that be?_ I wondered, standing up slowly. I opened the door a crack, and lucky me, Axel was standing there, shivering, a classic winter landscape spread out behind him.

"Oi, let me in. It's fucking cold out here!"

I was extremely tempted to ignore his request and just slam the door in his face, but I had a feeling bad things would happen if I did that. Horrible events tended to occur when I messed with Axel. Like him kissing me; though that wasn't completely horrible. So, I opened the door for him, shuddering at the gust of cold wind that blasted into my room.

"Can I help you?" I asked as Axel came barreling into the warm room, rubbing his arms to try and heat them up.

White flakes speckled his hair, which made me wonder exactly where his room was. It couldn't have been close, otherwise there wouldn't be snow on him, nor would he be shivering.

Slowly, I closed the door behind Axel, ignoring the slight "poomph" that sounded outside my room, writing it off as just some snow falling off the awning over my door. No big deal.

"I don't know, Roxie," Axel snorted, "can you help me?" There was some kind of innuendo there, but I really couldn't tell what it was. I guess I was just too tired to really think about it.

"I'm being serious," I told him, watching his every move. "What do you want?"

Axel turned to face me, a completely serious look on his face.

"I said I needed to talk to you, so that's why I'm doing," he said, and my stomach dropped about twenty miles. I was not only looking forward to this moment, but also dreading it with a burning passion. "Are you going to actually listen to me?"

I was really, really tempted to tell him no, that I didn't care what he was going to say, and that we were perfectly fine the way were.

So I did.

It wasn't true, of course. I just wanted to gauge Axel's reaction to me being defiant, especially now when everything was so awkward between us. The red-head's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he asked, "Why?" Like hell I was going to say the truth.

"Look," I told him, "if you really want to talk to me, then you can wait till we get home." I took a deep breath, hoping I wouldn't regret this later. "This isn't exactly the best time for us to be talking abou-"

"Your father sent us down here so we could talk," Axel interrupted, rolling his eyes. "There isn't actually a problem down here." My eyes closed, head turning slightly to the side. I had no idea what he was talking about. There was absolutely no way my dad could be that conniving, though when I actually took the time to think about it...

But I had to ask, "Why would you think that?" Did Dad tell him this? If so, they were certainly both really good actors, having fooled me into thinking there was something seriously wrong down here, and that Axel actually didn't want to be near me in anyway.

If this was the case, then I would want to murder them both for being such jerks about the whole thing. My dad could have just told me.

Right?

So I asked him if he knew because my father told him, but he shook his head, which was a big relief to me.

"I was looking over the information your dad gave us, and when I added everything up, there was absolutely nothing wrong."

To be a genius- must be really nice... There would be no way I could do something like that and understand what was going on. When I took that accounting class in high school, I nearly failed because I had no idea what was going on.

"Now," Axel continued before I could say anything, "either Riku's an idiot and made a mistake, which he isn't, and didn't, or Mr. Boss-man faked this information to get us down here so we could talk."

It's amazing the things you learn about your parents when you worked for them.

"I highly doubt that," I said, laughing. Deep down, I knew Axel was right, but I just couldn't accept it. Axel said nothing else, just staring at me with cold, green eyes. "Alrighty then," I laughed, "if that's all you want, then you can leave now."

My hand found the door knob, and I flung open the door, waiting for Axel to leave, but instead, I watched as his expression turned into one of utter shock.

_ What is he looking at_, I wondered, glancing out the door. My jaw dropped.

A huge wall of snow had fallen, covering the exit in a mocking way. I couldn't believe this was happening to me.

"I am _not_ going through that," Axel stuttered, stepping away from the door. It was the stuttering that caught my attention, so I turned to face him, and was extremely surprised to see that he was nearly white. I knew he didn't like snow, but this made him seem like he was absolutely terrified of it.

Could it be that scary?

"You okay?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"It's not funny, Roxie," Axel hissed back at me with a glare. "Snow is not something to be trifled with." It wasn't something to be trifled with? This guy had to be insane. Snow is an inanimate object; it's not like it could hurt you or something.

"Seriously? What makes you think that?" A small burst of laughter escaped, but I silenced myself as quickly as I could before Axel came over and murdered me. This was just great. Finally, I could get back at him for all the times he'd embarrassed me.

"Shut up," he growled, taking a step towards me, "I almost died in a snow storm. This isn't funny at all." Oh. I didn't know that. I suddenly felt really bad.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Without another word, I closed the door, eyes cast down at my feet. Axel's fear... well, I understood, so I guessed I could survive one night in the same room as Axel, even if it did mean I had to talk to him. Fear sent a chill down my spine, and I shuddered, looking up at him only to see that he was sitting on the corner of my bed, looking less pale than before, but still...

Walking over, I sat on the other side of the bed, my back facing his, and said, "You know, if you really wanted to talk to me, you should have done it in the car when we were heading down. Instead, you just listened to your music."

I was genuinely curious about this fact, though I'd never let Axel know. He probably thought I was just asking to be polite, which only kinda made sense, but it's Axel. Nothing makes sense with that guy.

"I... I wanted..." Axel sighed, "I needed to figure out what I was going to say to you...," he eventually muttered.

I twisted my torso to face him, though I only saw his back. What had happened to the 'cocky, never wrong or unsure about anything' Axel that I'd come to know? Was he actually embarrassed, or was this just an act? I couldn't really tell.

"What do you mean?" He didn't reply, just shaking his head. Silence fell over us, and I continued to watch Axel's back, feeling completely calm. There was something strange about me tonight, like I'd been possessed or something along those lines. I especially wondered if that was true when I asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

_Shit! Did I really just ask that?_

Flushing, I turned away from Axel, clenching my teeth in anger.

_ Why the hell did I just ask that?_

As I worried about whether or not I should kill my conscience, the weight on the other side of the bed disappeared, and I vaguely heard Axel stepping lightly across the carpet, obviously walking over to me.

The heat of his body seemed to be radiating off him when he finally came to stand in front of me. I was still looking at my knees, when suddenly, I heard Axel say;

"Hey, look at me, Roxas."

Roxas. He called me Roxas. Not Roxie, not Blondie; but my real name.

My head shot up, eyes wide, and I saw Axel towering over me, a smirk playing at his lips, arms crossed, and green eyes soft.

Damn, did he look really hot.

Before I could really assess what had just gone through my head and deny the fact that I was gay again, Axel leaned down, placing his hands on my shoulders, and he said,

"You want to know why I kissed you? Well, I think that's pretty frikin' obvious." He leaned in closer, his lips reaching my ear, and whispered seductively, "Get this memorized; I'm very much in love with you."

An intense heat coursed through my veins, leaving me burning, even when Axel pulled away. All of my suspicions had been confirmed with that one line, and everything, absolutely everything, made sense.

From the moment I met him in the elevator and he wrapped his arm around me, to all the times he pinned me to the wall, or the floor for that matter, why Riku and Sora were convinced we were dating, Naminé's reactions to me being around him, the reason he licked the blood off my hand, why he didn't answer the question about having a girlfriend (though that one could also be answered by the fact he was gay...), and even why he blushed and told me I looked like a high school girl when he bailed me out of jail.

These things... how could I not have noticed that they were Axel telling me how he felt, and not just him being weird and annoying?

Was I really that _stupid_?

"I-I... Um... W-Why... how could... when... what..." I stuttered, once again allowing my eyes to travel to my legs. "You... when did this... why are you telling me... wh- what brought this on?" I finally managed to form a complete sentence, blushing furiously. My face was red on New Year's Eve, after Axel had kissed me, but there was no way it was as dark and obvious as that moment, when I got confessed to by the same guy.

Axel snickered at my reaction, and leaned back against the wall in front of me. "I didn't realize you'd be so embarrassed."

Head still bent, I managed to glance up at him, witnessing a blissful look, almost as if he'd gotten some huge weight off his chest, which was absolutely true. I wondered how long he'd liked me.

"I guess..." Axel said, looking away, "I was able to control myself around you for a little while, not really wanting to creep you out, you know?" Well, that didn't work, "But that night, with Ellie in danger of dying, Naminé being... well, Naminé, and you yelling at me, then when you said you didn't know my name..." he trailed off for a second, taking a deep breath. "I just lost it. I- I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry..."

He stopped short when I stood up, probably watching me with anticipation.

"Why me," I asked in a hushed voice, not wanting to face him.

"I don't know." How could he now know? It's his heart! "Why do your parents love each other? Or Ellie and Riku? It's not really like I have a choice who I fall in love with."

It was strange; I'd never thought about it that way. I'd never known a time when Mom and Dad weren't together, so I never questioned _why_ they loved each other. Riku and Ellie... well, they were a different story.

But Axel liking me? That was just... weird. I'd never really been nice to him, and I'd certainly never given him a reason to like me... not to mention the fact I was straight...

Or was I?

This entire deal was making me so confused.

"I-I... How do you want me to respond?" I asked after a time, standing up. Finally, I looked into Axel's eyes, and even though I knew my face was still flushed, I had to see his reaction, what he was doing. It was important to me.

He just smiled. "How do you want to?"

My body reacted on its own. I had no control over what I was doing as my feet shuffled forward, and my hands placed themselves on Axel's shoulders. "Like this," I whispered, leaning up, and kissing him.

This was the weirdest thing I'd ever done, but it felt... right. Like I was supposed to be doing it, and I guessed that's why it happened.

But it couldn't last forever, and when I pulled away, Axel was watching me questioningly, probably wondering if that was a "I love you too," or a "I'm confused, help me figure this out," kinda look. I wanted to answer him, but really, I didn't know what it was either.

Whichever one Axel decided it was, well, that was hard to tell, because him pushing me back on the bed, pressing his lips to mine could be confused as either.

So I just went along with it.


	19. Don't fall in love unless part 1

**Woohoo! Normal chapter update time! :D I'm happy now XD**

**Okay, so I've been thinking this past week, and I've officially decided to make this story rated M. Not because I'm going to write any lemon scenes, but because of the language, and the fact that I suggest a TON of stuff later on. Especially after chapter 25... :P So, from now on, Is there and Elephant in the Room is rated M XD (no children, I will not write a sex scene. Don't even ask me too :P)**

**Anyway, I got quite a few reviews over the past week, which has made me extremely happy :) I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! :) **

**I have a few things to say to them (not everyone because the author's note would be too long), so starting with DeadlyToaster, I have one main thing to say; your user name is fucking epic! :D Hm... I think that's all I have to say XD**

**For the anonymous reviewer, L.L, I loved coming home from school after a horrible day of panic attacks and bitchy classmates and seeing 7 reviews in my inbox :) That really made my day, so thank you :)**

**And finally, to Awaiting Dusk; Ellie a sweetheart? O.o That cracked me up. I've never heard her described like that before. XD (you can have your own opinion, of course, but it still makes me laugh. She's not supposed to come off as a sweetheart XD) Also, I'm glad you like the whole "Sora and Kairi are happy and so is Riku thing." I'm so worried that people won't like it XD**

**Also, I've noticed a common theme in the reviews I've received: most people love chapter 10, and everyone likes the fact that most of the couples are straight... I find this interesting XD I don't know why, but I do XD I'm glad it makes you guys happy though :)**

**So... I think that's all I have to say, other than now that I think about it, Axel's not in this chapter at all... huh... XD**

**So, enjoy chapter 19, because I enjoyed writing it (at least the first part XD)**

**See ya next week! (also, please review :D )**

**~Sunechirei  
**

**Full chapter title: Don't fall in love unless there's someone there to catch you. Part 1 (that's right, there are two parts to this chapter :) )**

* * *

"Roxas? Are you okay?" My mother was standing in front of me, blocking the television, which I happened to be watching. I looked up at her, annoyed that she was in my way.

When she didn't get an answer Mom leaned forward and snatched the remote out of my nearly dead hand, turning off the TV with it. I groaned, rolling over to my side, then sitting up, glaring all the while.

"What do you want," I grumbled, giving my mother the dead look.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face Mom placed the remote on the coffee table, then walked over to the armchair that rested in the corner of the room and sat down, watching me.

"Roxas, ever since New Years, you've been acting... strange."

"Have I?"

"Don't act stupid, Roxas. I don't know what happened to you, but whatever it is, it got worse three weeks ago."

Well, of course it got worse three weeks ago. Three weeks ago, I had nearly slept with Axel, and I became very, very confused about what was going on with my stupid, fucking, goddamn hormones.

Did I like Axel? Or did I like Naminé? Was I gay? Straight? Bi? Or was Axel just screwing with me somehow and I really was incapable of love?

All of these questions were important, but when thinking about all this while trying to plan a Valentines dinner with your girlfriend, your brain tends to get fried. Note why I was mindlessly laying on a couch, watching TV.

"I'm perfectly fine," I lied, reaching forward to pick up the remote. However, a glare from Mom kept me from actually completing the action, so instead I sat back.

"I said, don't act stupid. What is wrong with you?" Mom shook her head, "You're turning nineteen in three days, and you're acting as though the world is going to fall apart."

"_My_ world _is_ falling apart," I muttered. It wasn't far from the truth, but you never tell those kinds of things to an overprotective, paranoid mother. They tend to... oh, what's the word, _overreact_.

Immediately after I said that, Mom was next to me, checking my forehead for fever, asking me random questions about how happy I am, and if I needed a therapist, or drugs, or anything else she could think of.

Groaning, I swatted her hands away, and stood up. "I'm fine. Just... confused about something," I told her. "I'm not depressed, and there's no way in hell I'm going to see a therapist." It was obvious she didn't believe me, which was stupid because I was telling the truth.

"Please, Roxas, what's going on?" For a second, I was tempted to tell her, but decided against it at the last second. She didn't need to know.

"It's nothing. I have something to do now, so will you stop pestering me?" My irritation was quickly rising as I pushed past her, not sure how she was going to react. Luckily, she just left me alone, allowing me to pass without another word. I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to me now.

Dad obviously noticed as well that there was something up with me and Axel, though now it wasn't awkward around us, just... quiet.

So, he decided to give me a few days off.

Well, more like a month, or... well, two weeks, I guess. He seemed to notice that I was depressed, so this is what he said to me;

"You're no use like this. Go home, figure out your problem, then you can come back. Got it?"

It's always wonderful to know how much your father loves you. At home, of course, he wasn't so... strict, but he still seemed a bit irritated with the way I was acting. It wasn't my fault, of course.

Depression wasn't exactly something I _wanted_ to have, not that I did, but absolutely everything in my life was falling apart, and I didn't know what I was going to do about it. That tends to make a person rather... sad? Annoyed? Frustrated?

But Axel was only one of my issues. A big one, but not the main one right now.

Naminé had been acting strange.

This was normal, of course, but still really annoying because I, once again, had no fucking idea why she was acting strange. Maybe she'd figured out I'd pushed myself on Axel, or she'd picked up on the fact that I wasn't actually sick, my excuse to everyone at work, and she was angry at me for not informing her of this.

I didn't want her to know, of course, though I did feel bad for keeping all of this a secret from my girlfriend.

I mean, if she found out I was only lazing around as if I were a sloth, there was a huge chance I would be killed.

I didn't want to be killed.

Living was nice.

Most of the time.

Right now, however...

"Roxas." Mom caught up to me quickly, "I know there's something bugging you, and I have a feeling it has to do with Naminé."

I stopped walking, looking down at my mom with eyebrows raised.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look. I'm your mother, and I'm not an idiot."

I knew that, but still, the fact she was able to deduce I was having relationship issues at the moment... that's serious ESP stuff. Either that, or I was extremely readable, like an open book, which is what Axel and Ellie had told me not long ago.

Maybe I should work on hiding my emotions better...

"I told you Mom, I'm fine." By the look I was getting, it was clear she didn't believe me. "Look, I'm having some issues with Naminé, but that's not something you need to get involved. Okay. If I want advice, I'll go to dad," I muttered, holding up my hands defensively. Mom just laughed.

"Alright then, go to Cloud for relationship advice. Make sure to have the mental hospital on speed dial," Mom said, giggling slightly.

Sadly, she was right. I'd tried asking my father about relationships before and he went on a long tangent about something really random that made no sense and had nothing to do with girlfriends.

"Roxas, I know you're like your father when it comes to relationships, but please, don't hesitate to talk to me about these things. I'm your mother. I'm supposed to help you." She placed a hand on my arm, smiled encouragingly, before heading off up the stairs.

I watched her leave, hesitating slightly before calling out, "How did you and Dad meet?" It was like time had frozen. Mom wasn't moving, her hand clenched around the railing. Slowly, she turned around.

"Um... what?"

Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms and repeated my question. She was nervous, I could tell, but what reason would she have to be nervous? If I remember correctly, the two of them met in college because Mom knew one of Dad's roommates. What's so nerve racking about that? Of course, it was possible that Dad was just making something up, which is one reason I wanted to ask.

"Well... you've met Angeal, right?" I sighed. This was the exact same story as what Dad told me.

"Okay, okay. Never mind. That's what Dad said," I told her, holding up my hand. For some reason, she sighed, but seemed like she wanted to run away, never have this conversation again. Did she have this reaction when I've asked her before? Was there something I was missing about my parents?

I was quite desperate to know these things, but they would have to wait. Other problems had to be settle first.

My parents and their issues would always be around for me to deal with; Axel and Naminé may not be, especially if I screwed the next few days up. I had to somehow convince Axel that the night in that hotel in Twilight Town was a mistake, and I was just confused, but I wanted to be better friends with him so that the two of us would actually get along and not argue over the stupidest things.

Not only that, but I somehow needed to get Naminé to believe me when I tell her there's nothing going on with me and Axel, while convincing myself of that fact as well.

Nothing was going my way recently.

It was pissing me off.

* * *

The cold February air nipped at my nose as I walked the streets of Downtown Radiant Garden. Despite what people thought, Radiant Garden wasn't entirely a metropolitan city. There were small sections of it that revolved around family life, or vendors, and if you knew where to go, there was even a place where you could barely see the skyscrapers in the center of the city.

Downtown Radiant Garden was one of those places; a small suburb near the edge of the city where small shops littered the streets, selling the strangest things a person could find anywhere. I loved going there when I needed to think.

Like at that moment.

There were only three more days until Valentine's Day, so naturally, I needed to find something for Axe- I mean Naminé. Naminé. I needed to find a present for Naminé. However, I didn't know what I should get her.

Chocolate would seem too cliché, earrings would as well, Naminé didn't wear bracelets, or put her hair up. I discovered that it's very difficult to shop for someone who you're not really sure you love.

_Wait, what am I talking about? I'm totally in love with Naminé!_ I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought that I didn't like Naminé. She was my girlfriend, someone important to me, and I needed to show her that, even if it was going to be with some kinda stupid card, or something I say.

If there's one thing I learned from my parents as a kid, it's that it's crucial to let your partner know how special they are, especially when they're feeling as though you're looking at someone else.

Really, the only time in my life I'd seen my parents argue about something, not fight, just argue, was when Mom thought Dad was cheating on her. It took him two weeks to convince her otherwise. I don't really know why she freaked out about it so much, though. There's no way Dad would ever sleep with another woman.

I mean, I was watching TV with him one time, and there was this guy who was arguing with his wife, saying he loved her buy he needed to sleep with other women for some strange reason, and Dad turned off the TV, turned to me, and said, "Roxas, don't _ever_ cheat on your spouse. It's just sick."

Maybe she's paranoid...

Anyway, back to searching for a present.

As I walked the streets, rubbing my arms to warm them up a bit, I glanced around, hoping there was some kind of shop that could help me. There seemed to be hundreds. Pink lace and frills practically lined the streets, inviting all slackers like me to come in and look around the wares.

Truthfully, those stores kinda scared the living daylights out of me. There was no way I would ever want to go in one of those shops, and I had no idea how _any_ guy would want to. They just screamed g-

You know what; I'm not even going to finish that sentence.

Luckily for me, however, there was one shop sitting on the side of the street that looked completely normal. Well, other than the dark windows, abnormally snowy awnings, and a door that looked to be about two hundred year old, it looked normal. It was better than hearts and rainbows in any case.

The inside of the store looked about just as inviting as the outside, but I went in anyway, and was pleasantly surprised to see it was an old fashioned pawn shop. Clocks, canes, random trinkets, jewelry; this shop had pretty much everything. A smile spread across my face. I had a good feeling about this place.

"Can I help ya, boy?" I nearly jumped a foot at the sound of the crackly old voice that sounded behind me, and spun around. But no one was there. "Down here, ya blubbering idiot!" My eyes traveled down, and low and behold, an old man was standing there, coming up to only my waist, a cane in his hands and a pure white beard covering his wrinkly face. Hesitantly, I waved, laughing lightly.

The old man just rolled his eyes. "What do you want? This shop isn't around for litta' boys with rich daddies who want ta buy their way through life." This guy was starting to freak me out a little. I was wearing a ripped, black t-shirt under some random coat I'd bought last year, and cargo pants that weren't exactly... nice looking. Why did he assume my dad was rich?

But, the man didn't let me talk at all, instead pushing past me with a grunt. "Come on, boy. If ya want ta find sometin' for your girlfriend, I think I migh' have just the thing."

He beckoned for me to follow with one hand, and I became too afraid to _not_ listen to him. We walked to the back of the store where the cash register was, and the man climbed behind the counter.

Suddenly, he was at my height, so I assumed he's scrambled up a stepladder or something.

"Not a talkative one, eh? Well, no worries. I can enough talkin' for the two of us," he hummed, pulling out a key from his pocket. Not saying anything, I watched as he opened the back of the cabinet, rustled around for a second, then pulled out a small box.

"What's that?" I asked in a quiet voice as he held it out for me. Slowly, I reached out and took it from him.

"Just open it, Sonny."

I obliged.

Inside the small velvet box was a silver chain, shimmering in the low light of the room, and at the end of the chain was a small, light blue crystal, white wings from a dove wrapped protectively around it. My eyes widened at the sight of the necklace, as I'd never seen anything so... well, beautiful, in my life. It was perfect for Naminé. I stuttered an "I'll take it," to the guy, but he just laughed.

"Now then," the old man grinned, leaning across the counter, "before you take that home, I should tell ya that it's special."

I raised my eyebrows.

"That gem is a one o' a kind, and it's the exac' same color as a type o' ice cream-" _Ice cream? What in the world is so special about ice cream?_ "-that's only made in a place called Twilight Town. It's called Sea-Salt ice cream." I didn't exactly want to know why this was so important, but I felt it would be rude had I told the old man this. "This ice cream is known to have special... _qualities _ta it, ones that usually make a person realize just who's important to them. This gem-" he gestured to it, "-has those abilities as well. Whoever accepts this necklace, boy, well, you'll know just ho' important they are to ya."

Okay, it was obvious this guy was on something trippy. Special qualities? I wasn't in some kind of storybook; I lived in real life, and there was no such thing as magic in the real world. But to tell him that... well, it would be offensive, so instead I just nodded.

"Thank you, Mister..."

"Cid. Just call me Cid."

"Aright. Thank you Mr. Cid. I'm sure my girlfriend will love this."

"I hope she does."


	20. Don't fall in love unless part 2

**Well, for all of you out there who've been waiting, here's part 2 of my wonderful Valentines day chapter XD It's funny. I actually wrote this chapter on Valentines day O.O Man, that was a while ago! XD**

**Want to know what's sad? I only have 11 chapters left of this to write :( I mean, you guys get a ton more chapters, but I'm going to be done with this story really soon... What am I going to do with my time? o.O**

**Anyway. To answer some people's questions and talk about reviews:**

**Melodious Echo of Oblivion: Thanks for the long review :D I do like long reviews, but I really only want to know what people think of the story XD I'm glad you love this story :D**

**To Awaiting Dusk: Well, if you think Ellie and Riku are adorable, then just wait until Riku's first chapter XD And yes, I do update regularly. Every Saturday, on the dot :P Actually, it's more like Friday night for me, but... XD**

**813 i love you 813: Roxas' birthday in this story is actually the day BEFORE Valentines day XD February 13th :P Also, it's easy for me to update on time. I'm over ten chapters ahead in my writing :P**

**For SuttaFox; The chapters are usually around 6 or so pages, but chapter 19 was about 5, so... XD As for Cid; there are about 14 different Cid's in the Final Fantasy games. The one I used in this chapter was from FF IV. And I made up the necklace with the help of some friends. I want it as a necklace though XD And yes, you do get to learn about how Tifa and Cloud met. I actually just wrote that chapter a few days ago XD It's an interesting story. And what Axel does? Well, that my friend is a wonderful mystery :D**

**L.L: No, the shop keeper isn't Scrooge :P I have no Disney characters in this story.**

***sigh* That's all for now XD I noticed a common theme in your guy's reviews: the necklace. I think it's going to be interesting to see how you guys react to this chapter :P**

**Anyway, I have one thing to say. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS CHAPTER SINCE THE MOMENT I STARTED THIS STORY! XD You'll see why :D**

**So, as always, read, enjoy, review, and I'll see you next week :D**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: Don't fall in love unless there's someone there to catch you (Part 2)**

* * *

My birthday was fucking awesome!

I mean, normally things are boring and pathetic, but I guess for my nineteenth birthday the people in my life decided to make things wonderful for me. Kinda. I think it was more the fact that I actually heard from my three so-called best friends who each called me early in the morning to wish me a happy birthday. The conversations went something like this;

_"Happy birthday Roxas! Sorry it's so early, but I have class in a few minutes so I wanted to call you before I had to leave."_

Olette sounded abnormally perky, especially since it was five in the morning. I had a feeling she was enjoying her classes. "Hey...," I replied, yawing widely.

_"Oh! I probably woke you up. I feel so bad now!"_

"You don't need to. I have to get up early anyway," I sat up and rubbed my eyes, stifling another yawn as Olette rambled on about how I shouldn't be getting up early so often, especially not on my birthday. I didn't have the guts to tell her I'd been pretty much ditching work for the past few weeks so I could deal with my love life. I knew she'd be upset with me.

_"So, Roxas, I hope you enjoy your nineteenth birthday. I'm sorry I didn't get to come home for Christmas and New Years. Some of my friends took me out so we could have some fun out on the town."_

I wanted to laugh at her enthusiasm. "That's great, Olette. It's probably better you didn't come home. Weird things happened..." That was putting it really lightly. I didn't want to tell her I might be gay, or the reason why that was the case.

_"Weird things? Like what?"_

Sighing, I grabbed my clock checking the time, then said, "I thought you had to get to class?"

_"Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me. Happy Birthday, Roxas!_"

"Yeah."

Her conversation was probably the most normal of the three I had, but I was expecting that. Pence called second, about ten minutes after Olette, but his was brief.

_"Hey Rox. I know it's been a while, but med school isn't as easy as some people made it out to be, so I've been really busy._" Of course. I was expecting that as well. I don't know why Pence thought it would be simple... I told him it was fine though, and I was glad he was having fun, to which he snorted. _"Si a la dreta. Diversio." _

I blinked, confused about what he said. The only problem with living in another country; they started speaking another language. I never found out what he said though, because the phone got cut off.

It was after that I decided to get up. Of course, while I was in the shower, Hayner called, so I missed it, but he left me an... interesting message.

_"Hey, Roxie! Long time no speak, eh? You're finally nineteen. Congrats. Now, I know I said I was going to come back every now and then, but man is my school interesting. I'm actually passing my classes. By myself. You should be proud of me. Say hi to Axel and Naminé. See ya."_

That was a fun message to receive.

But naturally, the best part came when I walked downstairs.

And was blindfolded, tied up, and dragged outside. I knew it was Riku and Sora who pulled this off, as no one else I knew could move so quickly, so quietly. I'm sure Axel could probably have done it as well, but... you know.

So anyway, I was dragged out of my house, shoved into a car, and finally, my blindfold was taken off, though I wasn't untied. I was right, of course, that it was Riku and Sora who kidnapped me, but I was surprised to see Ellie and Kairi were there as well.

"What the hell?" I questioned, struggling against the ropes that bound my wrists.

"Morning Roxas. It's probably better if you don't struggle," Kairi said with a laugh, placing a hand on my arm. Ellie turned around from the front seat, a grin on her face, and added;

"You also shouldn't question what we're doing." A sneer littered her face. "Just be glad we're going out of our way to do something for your birthday." How they knew it was my birthday was something I didn't want to know. I figured Ellie knew as the lawyer, but it was possible Sora had something to do with it.

He seemed to know absolutely everything about the company, and I still didn't know what he did. However, another thing I didn't want to know, was where the hell they were taking me, and how they got out of work for the day.

Normally, everyone worked on Sundays, me included, so I didn't know how it was possible for them to...

"Don't think about it, just go with it." From next to me, Sora laughed and patted my head. "This is a good thing."

A good thing... right... How was being kidnapped by workmates when you were supposed to be at work something good? That didn't make any sense. Then again, most people would walk into our office and walk out needing therapy because the office was so fucking crazy. Sometimes I wondered how I survived the days there. Then I remembered that I really don't...

But, I shut my mouth and let Riku drive, still confused as to where these psychopaths were going to take me, but really I didn't want to question it.

So, none of this sounds awesome right now, but when we arrived at the place we were going, I knew this was going to be fun.

Ever heard of Laser Tag?

Well, that's where I was taken and I was so glad I had decided to wear black that day.

I won't really go into detail, because if I told you everything that happened to me while in that dark room, with fake guns, going against two extremely competitive guys, it would take a long, long time. But we played for about six hours straight, and needless to say, I was completely and totally exhausted after that, though I'm sure Riku and Sora could have continued playing for the rest of the day.

By the end, Riku had come out on top by about a thousand points, much to the disappointment of Sora.

"Goddammit! Why the hell do you always beat me?" Sora fell to his knees after seeing the results, and Riku just patted him on the head.

"Because I'm better than you. Duh."

I'm pretty sure if Kairi hadn't hugged Sora and told him he would beat Riku at something, the two would have dragged the rest of us back into the room and demand to play another round. As fun as that would have been...

After all that, Kairi and Ellie bade us goodbye for some reason. I think they were going to take the bus home so they could get ready for tomorrow, but I was still being dragged around by two crazy guys. It wasn't that bad, though, as we went to an arcade and played old school video games and what-not. I knew Riku and Sora were competitive, but until that day, I had no idea just _how_ competitive they were.

First there was Laser Tag, then there was some kind of epic battle to see who could get the most points in every game. I didn't bother participating, but it was entertaining to watch them go all out.

In the end, I figured today could have gone a lot worse, but I was still confused why they did this. So I finally asked. Sora and Riku laughed as the three of us climbed into Riku's car.

"It's not every day you turn nineteen," Riku explained, "I mean, sure, it's not as special as when you turned eighteen, but we didn't exactly know you back then, so we're making up for it now."

That made sense, I guessed, but, "Why?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Because," Sora said with a grin, "you're our friend, right?"

* * *

Finally, it was Valentine's day. Now normally, I never wanted this day to come, but ever since I'd found out how amazing it was to help mend the problems in for couples, I'd been waiting impatiently for it.

Now, of course I didn't actually care about such things as mushy romance, but if I could make things right with Naminé, then all would be well. Well, other than the fact I still had to talk to Axel about kissing him, then allowing him to jump me, but that was a whole other issue I didn't really want to think about.

After all, a girlfriend is important and should come first, right? Future business partner are important, but not for a while. Or, at least I'd hoped so, because I ran into Axel at work the day after my birthday, so Valentine's Day.

It was really awkward, because we hadn't spoken, or seen each other at all after I left on my little hiatus from work.

Two and a half weeks ago.

But of course, I should have been expecting things to go... strangely between the two of us, especially after what happened. Well, I figured that now would be a good a time as any to deal with the situation at hand, even though I wanted to put it off. I still couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, I might like Axel just a little bit.

To tell him I didn't would... well, hurt. I guess.

"Hey Roxie! Happy Valentine's Day!" Axel exclaimed when he saw me, though there wasn't nearly as much enthusiasm in his voice, or his actions when he trotted over to me and ruffled my hair. A light blush painted my cheeks as his hand made contact with my head. What could I do to make this better...?

"Hey... um..." I glanced over at Axel, who was standing with his back to me, fussing with something on my desk. "Look, I kinda need to talk-"

"No time. Gotta run. My cousin, Demyx, has some kinda issue with a... um..." Axel turned around, thinking for a second before continuing with, "a friend. Yeah... Anyway. Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day, and I'll see ya later!" He pinched my cheek, which was highly annoying, before running off and down the stairs.

I watched him, completely and totally surprised at his reaction. It wasn't like him at all to brush something important off like that, or, at least it'd never happened before.

_Oh shit! He's pissed at me!_

Why the hell did this always have to happen to me? First Riku hated me, then Naminé was mad, and now Axel was acting as though I were a piece of slime. This couldn't end well at all. I mean, the last time something like this had happened-

"Roxas! There you are! I was looking for you!" A warm arm slipped around mine, and a head rested against my shoulder, so I looked down to see Naminé there, smiling up at me with her gorgeous blue eyes. "You father said we don't have anything else to do for today," she flirted, threading her fingers in with mine.

Wow. Out of work early. That never happened.

Well, I guess it actually did happen sometimes, but not very often. "I'm glad he did," I said, smiling, "I'm guessing he's only doing that, though, because he wants to spend time with my mom."

Rolling my eyes, I added, "This holiday is such a day for couples." The two of us laughed together as we headed towards the elevator. I was practically lost in complete bliss; after all, my girlfriend was acting normal and happy again.

The only issue was that there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, telling me this was a bad idea, that I should have run after Axel, but I ignored it as the elevator doors closed.

"You know, Roxas, I'm so glad you're feeling better," Naminé declared suddenly, clutching my arm closer to her.

Confused, I sent her a questioning look. I wasn't better, though she probably didn't know that. I'd learned it was a good idea to hide your pain from your girlfriend; they don't worry that way.

"Well, you've been missing from work for the past few weeks, and every time I've called you, I thought you were dying because of how sick you sounded. It worried me," she continued when she noticed my look.

A pain in my stomach reminded me of how horrible of a boyfriend I was. I shouldn't have done that to her, but what's done is done, right? I could only make it up to her somehow.

Leaning down, I pecked Naminé lightly on the forehead, before whispering, "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to worry you." I didn't have to see her face to know she was smiling.

"Alright. I'll believe you. For now." She giggled, but there was a hint of something in her voice, something that made me worry greatly. Was it sadness? Fear? Worry?

Damn. Why couldn't just one day; _just one day, _go right for me?

The rest of the ride down the elevator was a quiet one, mainly just the two of us, standing hand in hand with each other in silence, enjoying the nice, simple atmosphere. Well, I think that's what Naminé was doing.

I, on the other hand, was trying desperately not to flip out at the silence, and tell Naminé everything that had happened between me and Axel (well, not _everything_... some of those things we did three weeks ago... I doubt she wanted to know), and apologize, beg for her forgiveness.

It was a very trying time for me.

But finally, the door opened, releasing me from all horrible thoughts of confessing, and the two of us walked out like everything was normal. Oh how I wished everything was normal.

"So," Naminé said after a time, "do you have any plans for tonight?" Of course I had plans. What did she take me for? Some kinda loser boyfriend who didn't bother planning anything for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day? That hurt, but only slightly, as I figured she was just trying to find out what I was going to do.

But naturally, I wasn't going to tell her everything. "Well," I began, wrapping an arm around her shoulder's, "I was thinking about just, you know, staying home tonight, playing video games, crap like that," my teasing tone caused her to smack my arm playfully. "Hey, hey! I'm just kidding. I do have something planned for you." I smiled. "I just hope you like it."

* * *

"Wow! This is amazing!" Naminé spun around in a circle, arms extended as she stared up at the night sky. Even though it was chilly out, the two of us were out in the field near the outskirts of Radiant Garden, wearing only light jackets.

"Is it?" I asked with a smirk, sitting on the blanket I'd brought with a little sigh. "What's so amazing about it?" I could guess what she was talking about, but I figured I would sound more interested if I asked her about it, rather than just assume.

I'm guessing I was right about that, because she sat down next to me, eyes alive with wonder and happiness. It'd been a long time since I'd seen her so happy; actually, I couldn't remember a time when she'd looked so relaxed and carefree.

It made me smile.

"Well, it's been so long since I've seen the stars this clearly! Really, not since I lived on Destiny Island with Kairi."

"Really?" I asked her, my arm snaking around her shoulders, pulling her close to me, mostly for the comfort of her being with me, but also for the warmth. February wasn't exactly the warmest month of the year. Of course, I made sure she couldn't feel the small velvet box that rested in my pocket, as that would give away the fact I'd gotten a present for her.

Let me tell you; it's not easy hiding something from a woman.

But Naminé didn't even seem to notice anything strange about tonight, as she continued to talk about her life on Destiny Island, all the times she watched Sora and Riku try to kill each other over the stupidest things, when Selphie broke the school's alarm system and had to get a summer job to fix it, or the time Naminé watched over Kairi and Sora's first date, just to make sure nothing bad happened to them.

It was relaxing to listen to her stories, though two things confused me; where did Naminé live before Destiny Island, and why did she move?

"Hey, Nami," I ventured, interrupting one of her strange stories about a contest between Riku and Sora. She looked up at me with wide eyes, surprised by my sudden intrusion.

With a sigh, I asked her my two questions, hoping I wasn't prying too far into her life, as she never seemed to like to talk about it. A jolt of fear attacked my stomach when the excitement in her eyes vanished, and the warm body was pulled away from mine.

_Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! Never ask questions like that. Never, never, never, _never_! _I mentally scolded myself, wishing desperately that I could bash my skull in for being so stupid. It was completely obvious Naminé didn't like talking about her past before Destiny Island, but I just _had_ to pry, had to ask. I would never had done this any other night, but I guessed the confusion was finally getting to me.

"I-I-I'm sorry," I stuttered, "I didn't mean to get all in your business. I mean, you can just ignore my question and act lik-"

"No, I'll answer you." Her voice was barely over a whisper. "I feel as though you deserve to know a little bit about me." She laughed nervously, her hands writing together as if she were trying to rub all the skin off them. "But, it's going to be a little hard for me to talk about it. Kairi's the only one who really knows anything, and that's just because she's my cousin."

Comfortingly, I placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "It's fine. Take your time."

Despite what you may think, I really had no idea what I was doing. I'd never met someone who was scared of talking about their childhood, well, other than Axel, but he's a nut-job, so that's to be expected. Basically, I was just winging the whole, "I'm here for you, go ahead and tell me whatever you want," crap. I just hoped it didn't turn around and bite me in the ass.

"Well," Naminé said after nodding at me, "I guess I should start with your first question; I was born in a city pretty far away from here called Oblivion." Oblivion... that was a cheery name... Why would anyone call a city that? Almost like she had been reading my mind, Naminé giggled and continued. "It was named after a castle that was built to obliterate all their enemies. Don't take the name the wrong way, though. It's actually a really nice town. But the people..."

She trailed off for a second, before laughing and continuing, "Kairi was born there, you know, so it's where our mother's grew up." I froze. Kairi had told me she was born in Radiant Garden. Why was Naminé telling me something completely different? "See, Kairi's mother was ten years older than her sister, my mother, but even so, the two of them were really close." Naminé swallowed thickly, and I could tell this was upsetting her.

However, she managed to continue, "Well, they were close until Kairi's mom passed away. She was two at the time, so naturally, our grandmother took her in, despite still having a fourteen year old daughter to raise as well."

Naminé took a deep breath and glanced up at the stars again, seemingly oblivious to the fact I was watching her intensely, absolutely curious about all of this. Especially since Kairi didn't seem to know any of it.

"This worked at first," Naminé continued, "but after a year, my mom got... well... raped, and became pregnant with me." Okay, I wasn't expecting that, but Naminé wasn't done yet, "After our grandmother found out, she and my mom got into a fight. I don't know what about, as no one will tell me, but Kairi somehow got caught up in it, and she hit her head, causing her memory to get... damaged, as my mom put it.

"So, scared for Kairi, our grandmother packed up all their things, and took off to Radiant Garden, leaving my mom alone to fend for herself. After I was born, my mom got sick, and my grandmother got custody of me, as well as Kairi. Then, she passed away, I was sent home to my mom, and Kairi to Destiny Island to be adopted."

The story didn't seem to be finished at first, but after Naminé said nothing else, I realized she had nothing else to say on the matter, and she was waiting for my reaction. But how the hell was I supposed to react?

It's not every day you hear about such a depressing past! Not only that, but she's not the only one with a horrendous childhood; I mean, Kairi was involved in this as well, Ellie and Axel were orphans... the next thing you knew, I'd be learning my parents grew up on the streets!

Was I the only one with a _normal_ life around here?

"Nami," I finally managed to mutter, "I had no idea... I'm so sorry..."

My girlfriend shook her head before looking up at me with a smile, "It's fine. I'm not really affected by it... its just hard for me to talk or think about."

I felt as though asking more questions would just be rude, so instead I just reached around to the back of Naminé's head, and pulled her in for a light kiss. Really, I don't know why I did that, but it just felt like it was the right thing to do, and Naminé didn't seem to have any objections to it.

That was a good thing, right?

After kissing for a little bit, Naminé and I lay down on the blanket, completely silent, curled up next to each other for warmth. It was nice, I had to admit, to just be there, not thinking about what I should do about Axel, who I should ask questions, what I needed to do to get my relationship with Naminé back to normal.

There were no worries as we did nothing but relax, but I knew it couldn't last forever, and when Naminé told me she was getting cold, the spell pretty much broke.

The two of us headed back to my car, then back into town. It was almost midnight, so I wondered if my parents were worried about me.

Chances are, they were, but if they couldn't deal with the fact that their now nineteen year old son had a life of his own, then I seriously needed to move out. Already, I was considering this, but I was too scared to. Yeah, that's right; I'm a 'fraidy cat. Got a problem with that?

Again, there was silence as the two of us headed back to Naminé's apartment. After a quick peek at the woman sitting next to me, I noticed she seemed rather nervous and uncomfortable, like she was contemplating something important. It may have been what she told me earlier that night; it may have been something else.

Ends up, it was something else.

And that something else practically ruined my entire evening.

You see, after I walked Naminé to her door, I stopped her, smiling, and pulled out the box. Naminé looked genuinely surprised to see it, and she took it, a grim look on her face. I had no idea what that could mean. When she opened the box, her expression turned into one of horrified shock.

I began to get worried.

"Roxas..." she breathed, looking up at me. "It's... it's beautiful."

"When I saw it," I told her, taking her hand, "I immediately thought of you. It just... seemed to fit." A glimmer of happiness appeared in her eyes, but disappeared almost instantly. "Is something wrong?"

Slowly, Naminé closed the lid of the box, eyes shut. "Look, Roxas... I don't know how to say this... but I can't accept this necklace."

Eyes widened, and my chest felt as though it were being ripped in half. "What are you-" I began, stuttering slightly, but Naminé just shook her head, and pulled away from me, holding out the box.

"I'm so sorry, Roxas. But... I don't think we should go out anymore."

"You... you're breaking up with me?"

"I'm so sorry."


	21. I don't miss him

**Guess what children. You got lucky this week :D This chapter, and the next one, are both rather short and deal with the same thing, so I'm posting both of them XD**

**Anyway, I'm feeling lazy, and I'm really really tired thanks to five days of staying at school till six pm taping leaves onto trees for the show that opens next Thursday... we're doing A Midsummer Night's Dream... it's going to be interesting XD But, because I'm so lazy, I'm not really going to have an authors note on this chapter, or the next, and I won't really be commenting on reviews like I usually do... I read them, and I loved them, but I'm just so damn tired... *sigh***

**So yeah, this chapter is from Namine's POV, and the only thing I'm going to say about the reviews is yes, it is horrible that she broke up with him on V-day, and no, Axel wasn't making up an excuse, Demyx really did need help with something that's lightly implied but not really... **

**But yeah. As always, read, enjoy, review, and I'll see you... well, next chapter... XD**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: I don't miss him. I miss who I thought he was (this chapter title is like perfect for reasons you all will understand at the end of the chapter :P )**

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It was the sigh that caught Kairi's attention when Naminé walked out of her room the morning after Valentine's Day.

Naminé, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the fact her cousin was trying to say something, probably important, as she walked to the kitchen and soullessly pulled out a box of oatmeal. What else could she do? Act as though nothing had happened the evening before?

That would be hard to do when you just broke up with your boyfriend. Nothing else seemed to go well once you did that, especially since Naminé was still in love with the guy, and the only reason she had dumped him was because of someone she thought was her good friend.

Of course, she should have known that flirting, and dating someone as cute and sweet as Roxas would lead to something like this, especially when Axel was the person she was fighting against. Never, had she known Axel to give up on something, no matter how difficult it may be, and getting Roxas to go out with him was definitely not something that was easy.

And the sad part was, he usually won.

He and Naminé had known each other for a while, even before the blonde started working for Cloud. They'd met not long after Naminé moved to Radiant Garden, following her cousin to a college here.

She was nineteen when she first crashed into Axel on the streets near her apartment, and as much as she hated to admit it, Naminé actually had a small crush on Axel for quite a while. Of course, after it became blatantly obvious that he was gay, she'd given up. However, that didn't stop the two from competing at small things.

Anywhere from getting work done, to becoming friends with the other people at their work, the two enjoyed their little contests and became close friends, laughing about everything that came their way, not caring what people thought of them.

It was the perfect friendship.

Then Roxas showed up.

Naminé had never met him before, though she'd heard stories from Kairi, but when she first saw him storming out of the building on that day in June, she was shocked by how cute he was.

Spiky, dirty-blond hair, eyes that matched Sora's in color, wearing a messy suit... even frustrated Roxas seemed to be one of the cutest guys Naminé had ever seen in her life.

Love at first sight, was how Axel put her infatuation. But she wasn't some kind of infatuated teenage girl who didn't know anything about love; she actually got to know Roxas before really deciding she liked him.

He was kind, able to deal with Axel most of the time, got his work done, but he also had his tiny quirks, like fiddling with his sleeves when he was nervous, becoming embarrassed over the simplest things, complaining about his life, even though he really had nothing he should be sad about.

It was these things that really made Naminé fall in love with him. It was no longer just a crush.

_"You really like him?"_

Axel's words resonated in Naminé's head. The day after Roxas had asked her out, Axel had showed up at the front desk and asked this question. Closing her eyes, Naminé headed towards the kitchen and recalled her own response to this question.

_"Yes. I do. What does it matter to you?"_

The grin that spread across Axel's face still bugged her to this day.

_"Because I like him too."_

The statement hadn't really shocked Naminé, but it still irked her.

_"So?"_

"_So, I'm not just going to sit back and let you win this battle."_

_ "Battle? This isn't a battle, Axel. Roxas likes me, and I like him. Why can't you just accept that fact-"_

_ "You barely know him."_

_ "Same as you!"_

_ "You don't know that."_

_ "Go away, Axel._"

_ "Fine, I will."_ Axel's eyes had narrowed, scaring Naminé slightly. _"But don't expect me to be happy with this. You aren't right for Roxas, just as he isn't right for you. Got it memorized?"_

That one conversation had started the fight between the two. Every one had assumed it was because Naminé was jealous Axel worked closer to Roxas, but they didn't know the meaning behind their arguments, their fight.

Ellie might have figured it out, being friends with Axel for such a long time, but no one else did. Had Axel not said those words, told Naminé that she wasn't right for Roxas, then the two of them would still be good friends.

But he was incapable of letting something go, giving up on a fight, and because of this, Naminé had lost her boyfriend. She could tell that something had gone down between them. Roxas blushed every time Axel was near, and the red-head was calmer than usual, actually doing his work, faking his outgoing attitude.

It made Naminé want to cry.

"Are you okay?" The frying pan that had somehow made its way to Naminé's hand dropped from it and fell to the floor, crashing against Naminé's foot. She gasped in pain, blue eyes widening as she crouched down to cradle her now throbbing foot.

Kairi was by her side in an instant. "Oh no! Does it hurt? Should I get ice? Will you be okay?" Naminé waved her hand, trying to show her cousin she was alright.

"Is there something I can do for you, Kairi?" Naminé asked through a strained voice. The woman sighed.

"You can tell me what's wrong with you. You've been acting so weird since you got up this morning. Not to mention you were already in bed when I got back last night." Kairi paused for a second, allowing Naminé to stand and face her cousin. "Did something happen between you and Roxas?"

What could Naminé tell her? She didn't exactly want people to know what had happened, that even though Roxas had been so sweet to her, so kind, that she'd broken him because it wasn't her he wanted to give that necklace to, wasn't her he wanted to spend his day with.

"She dumped him."

Both girls jumped at Ellie's words, not only surprised by what she said, but also the fact she was there.

"W-What?" Kairi asked, glancing between her two roommates. "But, Roxas is totally in love with you!" The auburn haired woman placed a hand on Naminé's shoulder. "Ellie's mixed up, right?"

Naminé was in total shock. She hadn't even known Ellie had come back last night. She'd assumed the lawyer would have stayed with Riku for the night, as she did sometimes, so it was impossible for her to know about the break up. It had just happened. Did Roxas call her? Did he talk to Sora, who obviously would have blabbed to Riku, then to Ellie? "How did you know?" She finally asked, voice quiet.

Ellie just sighed. "Riku and I were coming back last night, and we were walking through the park and we saw Roxas there. He seemed sad, so Riku started talking to him. Even though he never said anything, the two of us just assumed you guys had broken up, and based on how depressed the little Strife boy seemed, I guessed he didn't want to."

Well, at least Roxas hadn't acted like a jerk and complained the moment things didn't go his way. This was a relief to Naminé.

"Wait, I'm confused," Kairi said, holding her head in her hands, "Why would you break up with Roxas? You guys seemed so happy!"

"Yeah, I'm curious about this as well."

Naminé clenched her fists. Should she tell them? What could she say? The truth? Yeah, that would be good. But how would she go about it. Bluntly? A long, drawn out explanation, talking about how much of a jerk Axel could be? The pressure was overwhelming.

Finally, she closed her eyes, unable to stop the tears and cried, "He's gay!"


	22. Agaflaga

**Alright, short AN because I feel like I should say something. Something important. Something I've been wanting to say for the entire time I've written this...**

**Hm... what was it again? I don't even remember O.o **

**But yeah. Chapter 22. Roxas being a whiny brat. As always... **

**Oh! And in the last chapter, Namine was... um.. over-exaggerating a bit. Roxas isn't actually gay... it's hard to explain -_- **

**Please enjoy, review, and you'll get another chapter in one weeks time :P**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: Agaflafafleegaflaga ishganishganaganaga agaflagafleegaflaga biiiirdie(have fun pronouncing that :P Kudos to Withnospaces for your random chapter title which still cracks me up... even though you never read the chapters on here... Also, sorry about the fact that it's all broken up... the chapter won't let me post it otherwise :( )  
**

* * *

I opened the box for the millionth time, observing the necklace with sad eyes. The beautiful blue crystal still shone, mocking me in a million and one ways, and the dove wrapped around it was too happy for my liking. I shut it again, letting out a sigh, and placed it on my desk. Getting rid of it; that would be wonderful.

Desperately, I wanted to shove it in the garbage can, watch it fall to the bottom, hoping the necklace would break, but every time I was about to, something stopped me. It may have been the fact that I spent money on it, or that it was too pretty to get rid of, but it might have been the fact that every time I tried, a tiny voice in the back of my head told me not to, that there was someone else I should give it to.

Stupid thing.

Slowly, I reached for the velvet box again, my hand trembling slightly. If I did get rid of it, two weeks ago wouldn't seem so bad. Sure, Naminé had been a complete and total... I mean, she had dumped me harshly, giving back the present I tried to give her as if nothing were wrong.

She didn't even seem affected by the fact we'd broken up, even though I thought she actually liked me. I guess she didn't. Maybe she was just messing with my head, making me fall for her then stabbing me in the heart.

Why would she do that?

I hadn't done anything to make her want to break up, or, at least not something she knew about. Not to mention the fact that Axel had been ignoring me since that night in Twilight Town.

No, not just ignoring me, completely and totally avoiding me! Dad wanted to make our relationship less awkward? Well, he failed miserably, and now Axel and I didn't want to be anywhere near each other. Actually, I wanted to be near him, but that was a different story.

Just thinking of this made my face flush, and I placed my head on my desk, desperately wanting to scream in frustration. The way Axel's hands had moved against my bare chest, his kisses, the heat of his body... just the memory of then made me feel hot inside.

Maybe that was why Naminé cruelly dumped me. Maybe she knew I had strange feelings for Axel, maybe she'd seen how embarrassed I got around him. That would make it my fault! Damnit!

"Watcha' doin'"

"Holy shit! Don't kill me!" I jumped back in my seat, clenching the back with desperation as I stared at the door where Sora was leaning against the door-frame, laughing so hard he wasn't making a sound.

That guy scared the crap out of me, and now he was laughing at the fact I actually had emotion. Feelings. You know, the things my brown-haired co-worker seemed to lack. Other than amusement, that is.

"That... was... ab... solutely... perfect!" Sora collapsed onto the floor, clenching his stomach as he laughed, but I just growled, sweeping the box into my pocket so Sora didn't see it, or ask questions about it. He was such an ass...

"Leave me the fuck alone," I hissed, pushing back in my chair to stand up. "I'm in no mood to deal with you."

Truthfully, I didn't want Sora to notice that I was embarrassed, but more than that, I didn't want him to know I was thinking of Axel while my face was red. That would lead to a never ending line of teasing that would probably follow me for the rest of my life. Especially if Sora told Riku, which he probably would.

Again, he's such an ass.

"I'm sorry," Sora whined, reaching up to grab my pant leg as I walked by him, "You were just so funny I had to laugh. Are you really so paranoid that you thought I was going to kill you?"

I said nothing, just kicking Sora's hand away, causing him to burst into another fit of laughter. I was not paranoid about being killed, but I'd been through some really messed up things, one of them thanks to Sora and Riku on Halloween all those years ago, so hearing his voice wasn't exactly pleasant for me.

Especially when he was asking what I was doing while thinking about nearly sleeping with Axel and feeling absolutely amazing during it.

Alright, if my face was bright red then, I didn't know what could make it become that color.

"Whoa! Wait, Roxie! Get over here! I need to talk to you!" I continued to ignore Sora, heading towards the elevator.

"Go away," I muttered, ignoring the footsteps that followed me, completely underestimating how fast Sora could move. In less than two seconds, he was next to me, grabbing my arm in a steely grip.

I tried to pull away, shocked, seeing as this guy was my height, but about fifty times stronger than me. At first I became scared, thinking he was like Axel, wanting to... molest me or something, but he was just grinning like a madman, so that idea went out of the window quickly. The fact that he had a girlfriend also helped...

"Come on, Roxie." Sora laughed. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help cheer you up!"

Cheer me up? He wanted to cheer me up? Why would he want to cheer me up? How did he know I needed someone to help me be happy again? I'd worked so hard to keep everyone in the office from noticing how depressed I was ever since that little- Naminé, broke up with me. I didn't act sad, I talked to people, did my work, came to work every day... what more could they ask for?

Then again, I guess the fact that I kept to my office, avoided Axel, and I didn't hang around after work anymore might have tipped them off...

Trying to pull away again, I let out a sigh and was extremely tempted to kick Sora, but I figured he would retaliate against me... Chances are, he was stronger than I was. I'd seen him spar with Riku before, and trust me, that's not something you would want to get in the middle of.

I don't even know how Kairi could have dealt with the two of them for all those years without getting hurt or going insane...Wait, she kinda was insane. I mean, look at who she was dating!

"Look, Sora, I don't need to be cheered up. I'm fine," I said, but Sora just rolled his eyes and let go of me.

"Anyone who's fine after getting dumped has mental issues."

….How did he know that? I hadn't told anyone, and I don't think Naminé did either. Well, she might have told Kairi and Ellie, which would be why Sora knows.

Damn women...

"I'm fine." My response was really delayed, which of course didn't go unnoticed by Sora, and he just laughed, patting me on the head. I shoved his arm away.

"You're obviously _not_ fine, Roxie. Now come on, talk to Sora."

Oh, I wanted to _murder_ that son of a bitch. He was treating me like a kid! Me, his eighte-nineteen year old boss. Obviously he could care less that the fate of his job was in my hands. Come to think of it, I didn't even know what Sora did. Him and Axel...

"Why does it even matter to you?" I muttered, blushing at the thought of Axel. Dammit. Luckily, Sora seemed oblivious to my painted cheeks, and let out a laugh.

"Normally, I could care less," wow, he was mean; I had no idea, "but Riku's been complaining to me because Ellie's been complaining to him about how depressed you've been. Want to know something?" He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "I don't like being complained to."

If he didn't like being complained to, then why was he complaining to me? That didn't make much sense at all.

Slowly, I pushed his arm off me, and glared at him. It was weird, glaring at someone who was actually my height. Both Hayner and my father were taller than I, and Axel... well, he's a _lot_ taller than I am. I mean, a lot. I think he's six-three or something like that. But Sora was my height. Five-six. Average height...

"Go, away, or I will hit you," I warned, my voice slow and quiet, trying to sound more threatening than I felt. However, all this did was spark a smile on Sora's face.

"Hit me? What do you think that'll accomplish? I'm a hell of a lot stronger than you, you know."

"You don't know that," I protested, which was true. Though there was no doubt Sora was stronger than me, he had no idea. I mean, he'd never seen me fight before, or run, or anything! For all he knew, I was the strongest guy in the world.

But, "Actually, I do know that." I was very curious to hear how he'd figured it out, "Don't you remember? I've seen Axel pin you down before-" I bit my lip, trying not to react to that memory, "-which means he's stronger than you are. Well guess what? I'm a lot stronger than Axel is."

Logic. He used logic... _Sora_ was able to use logic to figure something out. This made sense? Riku, maybe, Ellie, definitely, but Sora? Using logic... that blew my mind away. Quite literally. I took a step back, stumbling into the elevator door. This seemed to irritate Sora, as he crossed his arms and glared at me.

"What," he growled, "am I not allowed to say something smart? Have a brilliant idea?" I wanted to shake my head, but I was afraid of what would happen if I did. "Well guess what, Roxie, I'm not an idiot."

I laughed nervously. "I never thought you were," I lied, "A klutz maybe, or a fool, but not an idiot." He raised an eyebrow, like he didn't believe me, which would be a smart thing to do, though not good for me.

"What ever," he finally mumbled, reaching over and pressing the elevator button. "I'm not here to interrogate you, I'm here to make you happier, because Ellie and Riku are annoying." His scowl turned into a grin as he stepped back, blue eyes traveling upwards to see what floor the elevator was on. Slowly, I stepped away from the elevator, keeping my eyes on Sora's every move. Who knew what he was going to do next...

What he did do next, I found to be very annoying.

He started humming.

Humming, of all things.

First logic, then humming.

Now, normally this wouldn't be so bad. If, I don't know, Ellie, had started to hum, I probably wouldn't have minded, but Sora... man, that guy can _not_ carry a tune to save his life. He sucks so badly, that even just humming I wanted to rip out his vocal chords and make it so he could never sing again.

That's right, he was that bad. Even my dad can sing better than Sora, and my dad can't sing.

After a minute of listening to Sora's horrible music, the elevator door finally opened, and I escaped into it; kinda. Naturally, Sora followed me, probably making it his personal duty to make sure I was happy by the end of the day.

Yeah, like that was going to happen.

I was in no mood to be happy. Why couldn't Sora see that? Actually, the question I should be asking is why Ellie kept complaining about me being a downer. I mean, I acted normal around her, right? I didn't even see her that often! How could she even tell I was upset about something?

Not even Mom noticed, and she got on my case about everything. Then again, she seemed really distracted recently... Maybe she was-

"Oh my God! Shut up!" It was all I could take.

I turned to glare at Sora, who was staring back at me with wide eyes, his hands behind his head.

His blank stare made it obvious he had no idea why I was yelling at him to shut up, so I elaborated, "You can not, and never have been able to, sing, so shut the hell up, before I do something I'm going to regret!"

An awkward silence fell between the two of us. Not the kind that I had with Axel all the time, but one that basically said, 'you just fucked up. Sora's going to kill you now.'

I don't know which is worse.

Finally, a chuckle reached my ears. Sora was laughing at me. Again!

"You're so funny, Roxie," he shook his head as he said this, "I know perfectly well that I can't sing. I suck at it. Riku and Kairi have been telling me this since we were little." He shot me a cheeky grin, "Doesn't mean I'm not gonna sing, 'cause trust me; if there's a song I want to sing, I will sing it."

_Will I ever get a chance to work with normal people?_ I wondered, leaning up against the back of the elevator, closing my eyes. Everyone I'd met so far in this business were insane in some form or another.

Just think about it; the first time I met Riku, he threw knives at me (well, technically at Hayner but...), Ellie gave me an alibi after I'd gotten arrested, Sora nearly crashed into me, and Axel, well... he was Axel. None of these people were normal.

My father has the strangest ideas about what people should work for him.

"Want to know a funny word?" Sora asked suddenly. I blinked, turning to him.

"Um... sure?"

"Just warning you," he said with a grin, "this word makes no sense. So good luck understanding it." I rolled my eyes and waved for him to continue, not really paying attention. "Okay, here goes; Agaflafafleegaflaga ishganishganaganaga agaflagafleegaflaga biiiirdie ."

My eyes slid closed, and my hand came up to rub my temples. "What. The hell. Was that?"

"I told you it was strange."

"Yeah, but not nonsense!"

"So? You didn't ask if it was nonsense!"

"How is this supposed to cheer me up?"

"I don't know."

The look on Sora's face was so priceless. Blank, no smile, no frown, blue eyes wide, but not too much so, hair falling into his face, leaning against the back of the elevator.

I don't know why, but suddenly, I was laughing. Just, laughing. Maybe I'd gone insane, or maybe I just wanted to laugh because I knew somewhere inside that things would get better if I just laughed it off, got all the stress of living off my chest. Had fun. Another thing that was possible, however, was that Sora had been so ridiculous at that moment, that even though my life seemed to be falling apart, it was really fun to laugh at such an idiotic guy.

Maybe this was his plan all along, because suddenly, he was laughing with me.

Even after the door to the elevator opened and I headed out, knowing that I would have to deal with Naminé for a minute, I still felt giddy. Sora was an interesting guy, that's for sure. He continued to follow me, though.

We didn't talk, as both of us were trying to hold in our laughter so Naminé wouldn't think we were laughing at her. However, she wasn't the only one at the front desk.

Ellie was there too, talking to Naminé in a hushed voice, like the two of them were keeping a secret from the rest of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Women are such secret keepers and gossipers.

Upon hearing me and Sora exit the elevator, both women at the front desk glanced over at us, and almost simultaneously, their eyes widened.

I had no idea why they did that, seeing as there was nothing weird with the way I looked, right? Maybe the two of them were talking about me, and this was some kind of 'speak of the devil' moments.

That would actually be pretty hilarious. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Hey Ellie, hey Naminé. What's with the faces?" I don't know how Sora managed to ask that. He looked as though he were trying hard not to laugh as well. The two women exchanged glances.

"It's nothing, really," Ellie began hesitantly, and suddenly I became curious. What could they be talking about?

"Nothing? Oh come on!" Sora's hands moved to the back of his head again. "It's obviously not nothing." I was so glad Sora was the one talking. See, my eyes had met with Naminé's during this conversation, and the two of us just stared at each other for a bit, my hand going to the pocket where the necklace was.

Finally, she looked down, her cheeks painting a light pink.

While all of this was going on, it seems Sora and Ellie had gotten into a little joking argument. My eyes turned to them, and I suddenly wondered how Riku would react if I lied and told him his best friend was flirting with his girlfriend.

It would probably lead to bloodshed.

I didn't like blood.

So I just let it be.

Finally, Ellie laughed. "Has anyone ever told you that you guys could be brothers?" Brothers? With Sora? That was hysterical.

"Um... no?" I finally managed to say, clenching the box in my pocket tightly as Sora said, "How? We're nothing alike!" Which was so true. The two of us really were nothing alike. In fact, we were so different, that pretty much every aspect was opposite... how weird...

Ellie didn't seem to think this was the case, however.

"Nothing alike? Wow..." She shook her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her, crossing my arms.

"You two are so much alike it's scary. Not only do you look similar, but you're also both complete dense, foolish, idiots who think they know everything. Both of you miss the smallest details about people and situations," she slapped her hand on the counter, "It's ridiculous!"

Dense, foolish idiot? I was not! The only thing I've ever failed to notice was that Axel was gay and liked me! Nothing else!

Wait... that's a pretty big thing isn't it?

I opened my mouth to protest again, but suddenly, the phone on Naminé's desk rang. Me, Sora, and Naminé all jumped, but naturally, Miss Elliot didn't. I don't know how she was never scared or surprised by anything.

"Yes Mr. Strife?" Oh great, it was my dad calling. "Roxas? Yes, he's here. Yes? Alright. Okay. Yes. I'll tell him." Tell me? Tell me what? I had a feeling this wasn't going to end very well. For all I knew, my dad wanted me to go on yet _another_ trip with Axel. I wonder if he knew what would happen if he did. Hell, one more visit to a different city, and Axel and I could go all the way!

That actually didn't sound like a bad idea.

I closed my eyes, trying to both block out that thought, and not freak out as Naminé hung up the phone and told me, "Your father wants to see you."

Yeah. I was screwed.


	23. A wise man once said

**Okay, I'm not dead tired this time (close, but not quite) so I'm going to answer a few things :) First, I know this is early, but I'm probably not going to have internet access for the next... three days. So I decided to post early rather than late. **

**Now then, onto the reviews I got: **

**animeXIII: I don't talk to my dad often either... and usually, when I do, bad things happen O.o So you're not the only one XD**

**Awaiting Dusk: Namine, Kairi, and Ellie are roommates. For now. It was mentioned earlier, but I don't remember where... hm... And yes, it is Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Hilarious play. I couldn't stop laughing from backstage last night (opening night) it was so funny. I'm thinking of writing a fanfic where the plot of that is the lives of whoever I decide to pick on XD (BTW, you say 'break a leg,' not good luck :P ) That ridiculous word is... well... there's an interesting story behind it. I actually got it from my friend who wouldn't stop saying it when I was coming up with chapter titles for chapters 1-32 (how many chapters I had planned at that point) so I decided to add it in somewhere... originally Axel was supposed to say it, but things changed... I love Sora too. He's my favorite character, actually. I love Riku, but Sora is just amazingly adorable XD You get to see more of his personality eventually... just... not right now... XD (rest? What is this 'rest' of which you speak?)**

**813 i love you 813: I don't think it's a real word O.o It's my friend's friend's nickname. *shrugs* I figured people wouldn't have liked to have one of each chapter at a time XD Plus, they're kinda sister chapters so...**

**SutaaFox: Again, I love Sora :D He's epic in his own adorable way XD Roxas is really whiny... I don't like that about him... But, it's the way Roku makes me write him, so... Sora's character gets more development, as I said earlier, but not for a while. Kairi too, gets a little bit where I am in the story, but... (I'll explain this in a little while) The reason Cloud wants to see Roxas is- Oh wait, you get to find out in this chapter. I'm not going to say XD**

**PurpleMoo1819: I should make a definition XD That would be fun to do. I'll tell you guys next chapter :P**

**So, that's everything. Now, I remember what I noticed that I forgot from last chapter. The main characters of this story are Roxas and Axel, right (Namine too, kinda) Well, then it's Ellie and Riku since Ellie's Axel's best friend/cousin and Riku's her boyfriend, so it's important to get their side of things, and why they have quite a bit more character development than Sora and Kairi, who are just kinda there. They're not really main characters, which is why they currently seem flat. XD That's what I noticed :P**

**Anyway, really long Author's note, sorry about that. I probably have more to say, but it can wait XD Read, enjoy, review, and I'll see you next week!**

**~Sunechirei  
**

**Full Chapter title: A wise man once said, "I don't know, go ask a woman."**

* * *

The worst thing that can happen to you as an employee is getting called to your boss' office.

But what's even more horrible than that, is when you're called to your boss' office, and he just happens to be your father. That way, you don't know if you did something wrong at home, in the office, or if it was just a friendly chat because your mother doesn't think you and your father are close enough and need to bond more.

Truthfully, I think Dad and I are perfectly bonded. Just peachy. Amazing father and son. You know, all that crap that's talked about in movies. But the relationship I had with my father was perfect. We talked when we needed to, didn't when we didn't, and we got along as well as any other son can be with his dad. I don't know why Mom wanted to change that. Nothing was ever wrong with us. Well, except when there was, but that's another story.

Okay, now I was scared. Dad was content with the way we acted around each other as well. So that meant I was in trouble for something. Oh shit.

What was I in trouble for?

I nearly collapsed against the railing of the stairs when that thought hit me, weighing me down as though there were a ton of bricks on my head.

It wasn't a nice feeling.

But I had to continue, so I did, trekking up the stairs without any kind of enthusiasm.

When I finally reached the thirteenth floor, feeling extremely worn out from my climb, I slowly opened the door, peering out to make sure Axel wasn't there. Luckily, he wasn't but someone else was. Hesitantly, I crawled out of the stairwell, which caught the attention of this person.

Cold, blue eyes turned towards me as I waved at Kairi, laughing nervously. She seemed to be mad at me recently for some reason. Probably because of Naminé. Man, women have no sense of when not to talk to each other. Besides, what did I do to make her mad at me? She was the one who fucking dumped me!

Looking away, Kairi opened the door to my father's office, not even saying a word to me about anything.

And I thought we were friends.

"Roxas, you and Mr. Lea are still having issues, aren't you."

I blinked, looking around. I had no idea when I entered my dad's office. I remember walking past Kairi, hoping she would actually talk to me, but I think that's when I spaced out. Now, I was sitting in the chair, in front of my dad, staring blankly at him like I had just woken up, confused about what the hell was going on.

Axel was right; I do space out a lot.

"No. We're perfectly fine. Everything's great." I barely registered what I was saying, though I knew it was some kind of lie.

Lying...

That's all I'd been doing lately. Just lying my ass off to keep people off my back. The sad thing was; it didn't work. Apparently I'm like an open book, easy to read, not hard to understand. It was annoying. Really, annoying. Especially when I really wanted to keep a secret from everyone around me.

But nooo. I just had to be so easy to read that Naminé had probably picked up on the fact that I may or may not like Axel in a way that's sexu- That is not true!

Man, lying...

I felt so horrible for lying to everyone, for keeping secrets from people close to me, like my family, or my friends. Hayner didn't even know Naminé and I had broken up! Of course, I hadn't heard from him since my birthday, so of course he wouldn't know.

"Are you sure?" My father's voice was full of skepticism, bringing me back to the world again, and he seemed to be trying to get me to tell him something. Well, he was obviously trying to get me to tell him something; otherwise I wouldn't be here!

I would be leaving the building, escaping from the madness that is the female world.

"Yep," I finally said, even though it wasn't true, and a strange silence fell over the two of us. I felt extremely nervous, my hands wringing. Slowly, my father sighed and stood up, shaking his head sadly.

"Just make sure you figure out what ever is wrong with you two before the end of the month. Understand?"

Yeah, if only I didn't have such an observant father. I would be a hell of a lot happier right now. Then again, he was observant, and he liked to listen (obviously, or he wouldn't have married my mom) so maybe I could talk to him about this. It would be hella embarrassing, but I could still do it.

Now would be the best time. No one could get into the office without my dad's permission, and maybe...

"Hey, Dad?" I called out to him before I knew what I was doing, and before he opened the door. He stopped, turning to me, waiting for what ever I was going to say, and I cringed slightly, realizing just what I've done. "Wh-What...," I stuttered, "can I... can you help me with something?"

Okay, I was putting myself out there right now. I had a feeling I was going to fucking regret it, but I had to do it. I needed someone's help, and why not ask my father?

"No."

….

No? He just told me no. What the hell! Aren't father's supposed to be supportive, listening to their son, helping him? Why the hell did he just tell me he wouldn't even listen to my problems? He just told me to figure out the whole ordeal with Axel, but he's not even willing to help me!

What the hell is wrong with him?

"Why?" I guess you could say I was hurt, but I was more confused, really.

"Because," my father replied, sighing again, "I don't know how I can help you. I'm assuming you want advice on your issues with Naminé?" Man, the people in this place were psychic!

"Well, partially," I started to say, taking a deep breath to continue, but my father stopped me, holding up his hand as he shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, not even waiting for me to say what I needed to, "go ask your mother." Without another word, he yanked open the door and headed out, leaving me standing alone in his office.

The sun shining in from the window was uncomfortable on my neck, like it was burning my skin, and the air around me seemed to become heavy with some kind of emotion I couldn't figure out.

Anger?

Confusion?

Something along those lines. But those feelings were there not because my dad had just acted like a douche, but because he'd told me to go talk to my mother. Mom, of all people. I decided at that moment to question his sanity.

Sure, she was a great mom and all, but asking her for relationship advice is like trying to keep Sora and Riku from being competitive. Yeah, she would be a good listener, until I mentioned that I might be in love with a guy.

That would probably end in turmoil.

Mom didn't seem to be the kind who would like the fact that she could never be a grandmother... that woman is obsessed with babies. I'm surprised I'm an only child.

But what else could I do?

* * *

An hour later, I was sitting very uncomfortably in the middle of the living room, waiting for my mom to return with her tea. She'd eagerly agreed to let me talk to her, but I really had no idea what to say. What could I say? 'Hey, mom, I'm kinda in love with my business partner, who's a guy, and we've already almost gone all the way!'

That would go over well.

"So, Roxas, what do you want to talk about?" I hadn't even noticed Mom coming into the room, and I really hoped I wasn't red. That would be a huge tip off. "Roxas?" I blinked, not realizing that I'd been spacing out for a few minutes. My mom was watching me with a worried expression, despite the fact that her steaming mug of tea was at her lips. I sighed.

"Well, I don't really know...," I began, still trying to figure out what to say, "I guess... well, I guess I'm just having... relationship issues..." Yeah, that summed it up without revealing anything. I hoped.

I think my mom was about to drop her teacup, and I swear that my own heart dropped a million miles. Never, in my life, had I come to my mom for relationship advice. I'd never had to before.

Olette was always the one to take over when I was having troubles, so I'd never needed my mom before. For some reason, I had a feeling this was one of the best days of her life. Mother's are so strange.

"Relationship issues? What do you mean? Is there something wrong with you and Naminé?" Mom placed her cup on the table in front of her, leaning forward, her voice completely calm and serious. It was rather creepy to watch. I mean, Mom was almost never this serious.

Occasionally, she was, when I did something wrong and she was scolding me and what not, but this... this was just weird.

Leaning back in my seat, I nodded, "Kinda... but that's not really my problem." Well, it was one of my problems, but not the main one. Or was it? I couldn't tell. I really did like Naminé, but...

"See... I have... um... a.. uh... I have... um..." I could feel myself flush, and I looked away from Mom, not wanting her to see how embarrassed I was. She waited patiently for me, a light smile on her face, like she could wait all day for me to stop being embarrassed and actually ask the question I wanted to. "How do you..."

There was no real way to put this into words. I didn't even know what I wanted to ask her! I could ask, "What do you think of me liking a guy," or, "How do you know when you love someone," or even, "Is it normal to have a girlfriend, but have more feelings for your business partner?"

Yeah, the last one is totally what I should have asked.

But instead, I decided to take it slow, "Um... how did you know you were in love with Dad?"

Mom probably would have dropped her cup had it been in her hands. Seriously, she had been acting weird every time I asked her a question about her and Dad. It's like there was something going on there... but what...

"When I knew I loved Cloud?" Mom laughed. "Well, I guess you could say I figured it out when he was the one I thought of every day, when I knew that I couldn't be happy unless I saw him, that I didn't want to go on with my day until I'd heard his voice..." she trailed off, a calm look taking over her eyes. "I guess I knew when I could sit in silence in a room with him and feel as though I were flying."

Wow. I had no idea Mom felt that way about Dad, though I guess it makes sense. They are married, after all. But those words got me thinking; how did I feel around Axel?

Embarrassed, mostly, like someone had taken an ridiculous picture of me and posted it all over the internet. But did he make me happy? Was I unhappy when I hadn't seen him for a long period of time?

The answer to all of these was; I don't know. Sure, Axel made me feel... I don't know, different, like I had something to look forward to, _alive_. That was it.

"Wh-what about... um..." I wanted to ask another question, but I didn't know what it should be. I felt as though I really didn't have the answer I was looking for, and that there was something missing from Mom's description of how she knew she was in love.

"Roxas, do you think you love someone?"

I have got to stop being so readable! Seriously! I mean, sure, asking your mom for love advice could tip her off that you may or may not really like someone and wanted to know how you could tell if you weren't just an insane idiot who couldn't tell being embarrassed from actually liking a person. But still!

Did she know I was wondering about Axel? Or did she think I wanted to know because of Naminé? What the hell was going through her mind right now!

I desperately wanted to ask.

But I didn't.

I was too afraid.

"Roxas?"

I jumped, not realizing that I'd spaced out again.

Mom was giving me a concerned look, but I just waved my hand, silently saying that I was fine, and I just needed to think for a second. Or, I hoped that's what I was silently saying, because that's what I meant.

Who knew what my mother would take that as.

But, she left me alone, so I continued thinking for a minute, trying to gather my thoughts before I actually answered her question. I didn't actually think I loved Axel, just maybe had a crush on him, or I was just confused.

I didn't know though, as I'd never been in love with anyone before, so it was possible I actually did love him, but I was so dense that I didn't even notice. Man, anything could be possible!

"I don't...," I began, leaning forward in my seat, "I don't know if I am or not. I'm really... confused about the whole thing."

Ah, for once, I spoke the truth. Kinda. I was leaving a lot of it out, but still, it wasn't a lie.

"Confused?" Mom asked, "What about?"

Hadn't we just been talking about this for the past few minutes? About love, dammit! Sometimes I wondered if my mom was an idiot. But, if I'd said this aloud I probably would have been nearly murdered, so instead I went with, "About if I'm in love with A- someone. I can't... I don't know..." I sighed, placing my head in my hands.

I suddenly became aware of my mother's weight pressing down the piece of couch next to me, and her hand rubbing my back comfortingly.

"It's hard, isn't it?" She muttered calmly. "I didn't know for a long time that I loved your father, and even when I thought it was true, I kept going into denial, not wanting to admit that the guy I hated so much, I actually loved." I looked up at her, and she smiled at me. "What does your gut say, Roxas? Do you love this girl? Or don't you?" Well, _she _was actually a _he_ but...

What did my gut say?

Were these feelings I had for Axel real?

"I don't know," I nearly screamed, clutching my head in frustration. "I don't fucking know!" Mom's hand removed from my back, and instead reached for my shoulder, turning me so I faced her.

Her red eyes were completely serious, reminding me of when I was little and I nearly got lost one day. "Roxas, it's nearly impossible to know at first who you love. It usually just comes to you, and you can't control it. Right now, you're confused, but in a few weeks, who knows. Maybe you'll find that you love this person, and you end up together for the rest of your lives," she smiled, and stood up, "or you could end up hating them."

The last one sounded more likely.

I stood up as well, grinning. "Thanks, Mom." I reached forward and hugged her before heading out of the room. "I really appreciate it." As I headed to leave, Mom said one last thing to me.

"You know, I hated your father at first. Really, really hated him. But there was just something about the way he always looked out for me, always helped me out... I don't know what it was, or why it happened, but it did."

This piece of advice... well, I basically ignored it. My mind was already working a hundred miles a minute, and I didn't need to work this piece of info in at that moment.

So I came to this conclusion; I didn't love Axel.

* * *

I went into work early the next day, even before my dad did, and I headed up to my office as quickly as I could. There were things I had to do, people I had to deal with; well, one person in particular. But none of those things bugged me. I was actually happy for the first time since New Years, not confused, just, normal.

It was nice.

"Whoa, Roxie! What are you doing here?"

Looking up from the door handle that my hand was on, I was completely surprised to see Axel sitting in my desk chair. His wide, sea-green eyes, staring at me like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Let's just say, he seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

I didn't know what he was doing in the office so early in the morning, and I couldn't help but wonder if he came here at this time every day, but more than that, I was completely shocked to see that he was doing work.

Axel; the lazy ass who forced me to do everything, was actually doing work.

Whoa.

I came back to my sense after a second, walking in and closing the door behind me. "I work here," I told him simply. "What are you doing here?" Axel shrugged.

"I rise with the sun. I come here when I'm bored."

This was perfect. No, seriously, it was perfect. I needed to talk to Axel, and now I could without fear of Riku and Sora over hearing what I had to say.

Perfect.

"Aright," I said, walking to the other side of the desk, "but I'm here now, so you need to get your ass out of my chair." Axel obliged without even a quirky remark.

As I sat down, he laughed, muttered something to himself, then began to walk out of the room, not even saying a word to me. But I stopped him.

"Wait a moment," I said, completely serious. Axel froze, turning around. "I need to talk to you." His face lit up at my words, but I had a feeling he wasn't really going to be happy with me after I finished talking to him.

Quickly, he strutted back over to me, placing his hands on the desk and leaning in.

"Yes," he muttered suggestively. I pushed it to the back of my head without thinking much about it. He was just flirting, like he always did. But I needed to be serious, and I couldn't become embarrassed now. Not when I'd finally figured everything out in my head. This was the time...

"I want things to be normal between us." Axel's face fell, "I don't want this awkward air to hang around when I'm near you, I'm sick of everyone in the office thinking there's something going on between us," I took a deep breath before continuing, "because there isn't."

My words seemed to strike home with Axel, as he pushed away from the desk, a hurt expression in his eyes. But I didn't let him say anything.

"I know, I know, I'm being a bastard right now," I continued, "but I was just... really confused. I'm sorry. Can the two of us just act like normal business partners? No flirting?" I knew I was going a bit too far with this, but it was my decision.

Axel looked down at his feet, hiding his probably very emotional face. Or, I thought I was emotional, but I may have been wrong, because when he lifted his head again, there was a grin spread across his pale face, and he said, "Yeah, sure. No problem. Got it."

A pain struck my heart at his words.

Was I doing the right thing?


	24. If Tylenol bandaides or duct tape part 1

**Hm... I have to wonder if it's worth it to reply to reviews on here O.o It takes so much time and space... it's kinda pointless in a way...**

**I have an idea! If you want me to reply to your review, let me know somehow, and I'll send you a message :) Otherwise, I'll just thank people by name here, and... well..**

**Excuse me, I have a headache, so I'm a bit weird right now... Well, I'm always weird, but this is different... or is it? I have no idea... *sigh***

**So, thanks to P5hng-Me-A'Wy, 813 i love you 813, my beta of course :P, and animeXIII for the reviews. I love you guys :D**

**Anyway, please enjoy this chapter, even though it's a... well, I'll just let you read it and see for yourself :) So, have fun, enjoy, and review. See you next week.**

**~Sunechirei  
**

**Full chapter title: If duct tape, band aides, or Tylenol can't fix it, you're screwed (Part 1)**

* * *

"You and Axel are sleeping together, aren't you?" Sora inquired, cornering me in the hallway. It was him. Him and Riku, both with their arms crossed, serious looks on their faces, and irritation in Sora's voice. "Is that why you and Naminé broke up? Because she found out you and Axel are sleeping together, right?"

I blinked, scooting along the wall to get away from the two insane guys. No, I was not sleeping with Axel. I never had slept with Axel. Almost doesn't count. I didn't even know why these guys thought that we were having sex.

Um... no,why do you think that?" I ventured.

"Because," Riku growled, shoving his hand against the wall to keep me from escaping, "you guys are happy. Too happy. And you aren't fighting anymore, and there's nothing awkward about being around you guys. Something's up." He glared at me, "We want to know what it is."

I nearly groaned in frustration.

It had been two weeks since Axel and I decided we were just going to act like normal business partners, like he had never confessed to me, or made out with me, etc. it was working, and yes, I was happy, but apparently that meant I was sleeping with him.

Sometimes I wonder...

"Look, nothing's going on. We're just acting normal. Why are you so angry about this." I tried to push Riku's arm away from the wall, not sure what was going on, but he didn't budge. Was everyone in this place stronger than I am?

"It's weird," Sora said, sighing, all irritation gone from his voice. "You two have been going at it since your first day working here, and now, suddenly, you're both normal." He shook his head. "What's with that?"

What could I tell them? They didn't need to know that Axel and I made a deal to ignore him being all flirty, and that night in Twilight Town, or that Axel had told me he liked me. Loved, actually, but that's all in the specifics.

"The only weird thing about this, is it's different," I muttered, trying to shove Riku's arm off the wall, so I could move, "You two aren't used to different. It's fine the way things are. Just leave it alone." I was really in no mood to deal with them.

However, Riku seemed to want to torture me, because his arm did move, but this time it was pressed against my shoulder, and I was shoved towards the wall. Reminded me of what Axel would do, only I knew for a fact Riku wasn't gay, and he was totally in love with Ellie.

Glaring up at him, I was tempted to say that Axel would be jealous if he saw what Riku was doing, but I guessed I would be killed had I said it, so I kept my mouth shut. Sora, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. "You might want to be careful, Riku. Axel may come up here."

Riku just rolled his eyes. "I could care less. I could beat the shit out of him any day, and he wouldn't touch me. Ellie would murder him." It was nice to know that Riku was so full of himself. How did he know Ellie would hurt Axel? I was pretty sure Ellie cared more about her best friend than her boyfriend, but what did I know...

"What do you want with me?" I asked, struggling against Riku's arm. "I have nothing to tell you. We're just being normal business partners. Nothing interesting about that."

"You're right," Sora sighed, "nothing interesting about that at all. _That's_ our problem."

"Excuse me?" I swear my voice dropped about five octaves. Apparently I sounded dangerous, because Sora shivered slightly. Riku didn't really react, but his eyes got wider. But, it didn't affect them that much, because my question was answered.

By Riku, this time. "For the past ten months, the sexual tension between you and Axel has been our only source of entertainment," he told me, laughing. I wanted to murder him. Actually, dying would be too good and too easy for these two fucking bastards. They needed to be tortured, maliciously tortured so that they could suffer. All I was to them was a joke. A damn fucking joke.

Was there any respect for me?

"I hate you," I muttered, trying to shove off the arm. "Go away." My wonderful day had just turned into one that was hellish.

I should have been expecting this.

Ever since I'd started working at this place, nothing had gone right. And even the small things that did go well for me didn't last long, like Naminé. I was just waiting for this whole thing with Axel to just curl up in a ball and die.

It always happened that way. There was probably only a little amount of time left before something happened and I was stuck back in a situation where Axel and I couldn't be in the same room as each other. I really didn't want to go back to that, but what could I do?

"Well, that's not the only reason." Sora crossed his arms. "You should know by now that I'm Axel's roommate, and recently he's been acting weird. Really weird. Like he's depressed or something. He's never been depressed before."

"And what does this have to do with me?" By this point, I had no idea what was going on. Axel was depressed? He seemed happy to me.

"You're the one he-"

"Hey, what're you all doing to poor little Roxie here?"

I felt Riku cringe, and his hand moved quickly from my shoulder. All three of us glanced over at the elevator where Axel was standing, a smirk on his face.

For the first time in... well, ever, I was actually happy to hear the voice of my red-headed coworker. That meant that Riku and Sora were going to finally leave me alone. That would be absolutely wonderful.

"You guys seem to be having fun," Axel said, walking towards us. For the first time in two weeks, I noticed something in Axel's eyes that I'd never seen before. It was... sadness, I think. Maybe Sora was right, maybe Axel was depressed, maybe I should- "But I need to talk to Roxie, so I'd appreciate it if you would stop interrogating him."

He and Riku seemed to be getting into a glare war, because an awkward air fell over us.

You know, I noticed about then that Riku was actually shorter than Axel. Not by much, maybe a few centimeters, but it really made a difference.

Finally, Riku sighed, and backed away, grumbling to himself. I wanted to say something to Axel. Thank him or something, but before I could, he wrapped one hand around my wrist, and yanked me away from the wall, towards the elevator. I heard Sora call out to us, but my heart was pounding too much for me to hear.

_Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ I nearly screamed, _What the hell is wrong with me!_

I knew what was wrong with me, actually. What was wrong with me, was the guy holding onto my wrist and dragging me to the elevator. He was always my problem, even though I didn't want to admit it.

Finally, the doors closed behind us, leaving Riku and Sora alone in on the eighth floor. Axel let go of my wrist and turned to grin at me.

"T-Thanks," I muttered, leaning against the wall of the elevator. I watched, curious, as Axel pressed one of the buttons. I didn't know what he could be doing, why he wanted to talk to me, or if that was just a ploy to help me get out of that annoying situation.

"Thanks," I said again, breathing out slowly, "I thought I was going to die back there." I swear I saw Axel roll his eyes, though it wasn't very obvious, so I didn't actually know.

"I didn't come here to save your ass, Blondie," Axel told me as he reached into his pocket. "I came up here, because I actually need to talk to you."

Oh shit. He needed to talk to me. Every time I'd heard those words being said, something bad happened to me.

I opened my mouth to tell Axel "No," that I wouldn't talk to him, that I wanted to just go home and sleep; that I'd just been harassed by two extremely scary guys and I need to go home and calm down a bit, that talking to him was the last thing I wanted to do. Of course, I never got to say any of these things, because suddenly, there was something flying at my face.

Instinctively, I reached up and caught it, completely surprised to see Axel had just thrown his car keys at me.

"W-What?" I stuttered, giving him a strange look.

"I need to talk to you," he repeated, rolling his eyes. "You're going to drive."

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn the world had stopped spinning. Me? Drive? With Axel in the car? That _never_ happened. I mean, never. Every time I'd tried to drive, my keys were forcefully taken, and I was shoved in the passenger's seat of his car without another word, while he took the wheel. Me, driving...

Something was up.

"What do you mean," I asked as the elevator door opened again. Axel didn't answer me, instead just grabbing my wrist and dragging me off. I didn't fight him this time, which was unusual, I think I was more curious as to what he was doing to really try anything, though in the back of my mind, the thoughts of what his hand reminded me of was trying to break through.

I quickly pushed it down.

"What are you doing?"

We passed by Naminé as I asked this, who gave us a sad look.

Things with Naminé... well, they were awkward still, no matter how much I tried to change that and just be her friend again. She just ignored me, only talking when absolutely necessary. Kairi was the same. It's like they knew something about me that I didn't, and it angered them.

Of course, I had no idea what thing was, but it was pissing me off that they wouldn't tell me. Still, I waved at her, trying to get her to smile at me, show that Axel was just being mad and he wasn't flirting with me at all, and that there was no way I was part of this madness.

I don't think it worked, especially since her eyes narrowed when she saw me waving. I quickly withdrew my hand and laughed nervously as Axel pulled me out of the building towards the parking garage.

At this point, I was tired of being dragged around, so I yanked my hand out of his grasp and stopped walking.

"I would like an answer to my question now." Axel stopped as well, turning to face me. I didn't even realize that we were right by his car, until he turned around and pointed towards the driver's seat.

Gesturing towards the keys in my hand, he said, "I told you. I need to talk to you, and you're going to drive."

"What does you needing to talk to me have anything to do with me driving," I hissed back, frustration rising. This guy wasn't answering _any_ of my questions. "You're up to something, I know it, now please, tell me what it is before I get in the car."

Axel sighed, leaning against the back of his car. "Don't you trust me, Roxie?"

"Nope," I answered simply. "Never have. Never will. What are you up to."

"Just get in the damn car!"

The keys nearly fell out of my hand I was so surprised. Luckily, my grip tightened around them before that could happen, because I was afraid something might break if they dropped, and Axel looked extremely pissed already.

"Just," he muttered, looking away from me, "just get in the car. I'll tell you what I want to talk about when we're on the highway."

I was scared. The idea of being mauled by Riku and Sora? Yeah, that was terrifying. The idea of Axel acting like he was embarrassed about something; that was worse. What the hell could be going on in his brain right now? I wanted to know, and I wanted to know fast, and the best way for that to happen was to get in the car with him.

And drive.

That was the weird part about this.

"Where are we going?" I asked, not sure if the quavering in my voice was noticeable. _If_ it was, Axel didn't comment on it.

"Just head south."

I don't know why I obliged.

There wasn't really anything south of Radiant Garden. Some really small town named Disney, and a large, empty field where a huge battle once took place, but that was it. Obviously, Axel just wanted to talk without distractions.

As I drove, I couldn't help but feel nervous with Axel sitting in the passenger's seat. It just didn't feel right, especially since I drove like a normal person and he didn't seem happy about this. His foot was tapping, humming slightly, and he kept glancing out the windows. It was like he was nervous about something.

What a weirdo.

Finally, we got to a section of the road that was just straight. No traffic, nothing, so I finally opened my mouth to talk, but Axel beat me to the punch.

"I take it Sora and Riku were talking to you about our current relationship?"

How did he know? I nearly groaned. I wouldn't put it past any of them to have planned this entire thing out so I would go an talk to Axel like this. The three of them were evil enough to do that...

"Uh... yeah."

"What did you tell them?"

"Just that nothing was going on. Which is true."

"Hm..."

Axel was silent again, just sitting there, not looking at me, not even really paying attention to anything. He looked really sad right there, well, from what I could tell from out of the corner of my eye. It was difficult, of course, to actually see what his emotion was when I was trying to keep my eyes on the road, but there was an air about him that made me feel like he wanted to cry. Weird feeling, almost unreal, but still, it was there.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked hesitantly, speeding up slightly.

Trees whizzed by, as did random animals just grazing about on the grasslands surrounding us. Axel still didn't say anything, but he was staring out the window again, hesitating, waiting for the right moment to speak. Well, that's what I thought he was doing.

Axel was so hard to read, that it was really impossible to tell what he was thinking. Maybe he was just screwing with me. Maybe I was over thinking things. Maybe I was being paranoid and I needed to learn when to stop being an idiot.

Yeah, that last one sounded accurate.

"Will you please answer my question no-"

"I'm not happy with the way things are," Axel said, rudely interrupting me, "I don't want to act like I don't like you, because I do, and I want things to be the way they were before New Years."

My response to this was simple.

I slammed on the breaks.

Turning to face Axel, my jaw dropped in confusion. Where had this come from? Was Sora really right about him being depressed? He always seemed happy in the office, like absolutely nothing was wrong.

Either that, or I was just oblivious and missed him hiding his sadness, which didn't make sense, because I was extremely observant. Kinda. Sorta. Not really.

"Y-You said-"

"I know what I said, and I'm taking it back." Axel shifted to face me. "You're just thinking of yourself, Roxas," I felt my heart skip a beat when he said my name, stupid thing, "you aren't even considering my feelings in this whole thing." He sighed, "You're being selfish."

"Oh, you're one to talk," I snapped at him, "You really think that flirting with me, kissing me, treating me like I was some... some _toy_, wasn't selfish of you? How do you think I felt all those times? Huh? Do you think I wanted to be just some guy you toyed with and embarrassed?" I continued to glare at Axel, waiting for him to say something, but no words left his mouth.

So I continued my rant, "You fucked with my mind, acted as though nothing I did mattered, how I felt was nothing to you, and yet you claim that you like me? I doubt that." The words my mom told me two weeks ago seemed to be coming back to me. "You said that you loved me. Well, it doesn't really show."

For what seemed like an hour, neither of us spoke, only sitting there, in the middle of the deserted highway, glaring at each other. Too angry to really say anything else, I pulled a quick U-turn and began speeding down the highway again, reaching out towards the radio to turn it on. I didn't know why I was so angry.

Maybe it was more frustration, but I wanted to get away from Axel as quickly as possible, and I didn't want to talk to him at all. I was actually thinking of going to my father and telling him I was sick of this job, and I wanted to go to college. Sure, I would probably lose some good friends but that didn't really matter to me.

The music being turned off caught my attention, as did Axel's hand on my leg. I flushed, keeping my eyes trained to the road.

"Look, Roxie, I didn't mean-"

What Axel didn't mean I never found out, because just as he said this I crossed a street, like I normally would, and something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was only for a second that I saw it, only an instant that my brain was able to register what I was seeing, only a moment, and then it hit us.

Literally.

The last thing I remember was being crushed against the door, before blacking out.

* * *

Lights flashed, sounds boomed in my ears, like I was at a concert of some kind, only the noises were more that of panicked people, rather than excitement. I didn't know what was going on. My vision was fuzzy. A pounding headache made me unable to think straight.

Where was I?

What happened?  
Who was talking to me?

A sharp pain in my arm caused me to cry out silently. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life. My entire body ached, throbbed, making me want to close my eyes and sleep. So I did. I closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come over me. Instead I got flashes of images, terrifying images, that caused me to open my eyes again.

This time, everything was clear.

The first thing I saw was blood. My own blood splattered on my hands, on my clothes, and the pain in my body became even more intense, if that was even possible.

A pounding in my head.

I closed my eyes and groaned.

I opened them again.

The second thing I saw; Axel sitting next to me, unconscious, blood trickling down from his head.

Despite the pain, my eyes widened.

"H-Hey," I croaked. I could barely hear my voice. "W-Wake u-up!" I began struggling against my seat belt, ignoring the dull pain spreading throughout my entire body, making me want to scream. I grabbed Axel's shoulder, shaking it slightly. "N-No. W-w-wake up you idiot! Wake up!"

"The driver's conscious!" I barely heard someone call outside the door to the car, "Someone bring over a stretcher, he's badly injured!" A pause, and I turned towards the door, seeing a guy in a medical uniform opening it and reaching towards me. "Sir, it's going to be alright, I need to you help me get you out of the car."

"N-no. I have to help..." I gasped in pain as the paramedic grabbed my arm, and nearly screamed, ignoring the apologies from the man. "I have to help-"

"I need a sedative over here, now!"

Sedative? He was going to knock me out. No. I couldn't.

There was a jab in my arm, and my vision went fuzzy again, as did my hearing, and everything seemed to be spinning out of control.

"Wait," I muttered in a slurred voice, "I have to... I have to help... I have to help Axel."


	25. If Tylenol bandaides or duct tape part 2

**It's done... Elephant... it's... it's done...**

**...**

**For me, anyway. You guys still have quite a bit to read, but I'm done writing it XD The story is over. Done. Gone. **

**I feel so empty...**

**Anyway, I wanted to mention something kinda interesting about this chapter. See, it's the last chapter I wrote before going on my little hiatus in March, and the weird thing is, two weeks after I wrote this chapter and the previous one, my math teacher got in a car accident. He's fine, coming back to work a week and a half after the accident, but it's still kinda ironic...**

**Also, I'm going to say like, nothing else, because today has pretty much been the worst/best day ever in my life. No more projects for school, no more huge homework assignments, yet it was candlelight for theatre, which means the seniors are officially done with theatre in high school. They're no longer a part of Tower Theatre... I cried so much tonight that my eyes hurt. Plus, I finished this story this morning, and it's Friday the 13th, and I'm just overwhelmed with emotion... so, I'm sorry if you wanted me to say something to you from your reviews, but I'm just too tired, and sad, and irritated with my stupid father... **

**So, I'm going to say, thanks for the reviews, I'm hoping to see more for this chapter, and I hope you like what happens in this chapter :) I'll see you guys next week!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter title: If duct tape, band aides, or Tylenol can't fix it, you're screwed (Part 2)**

* * *

Despite the warnings from the doctors that I needed to rest, I didn't want to stay in my bed. I'd woken up half an hour after I'd been brought into the emergency room, tired, disoriented, and in pain. The doctor in the room immediately started explaining to me the situation.

You're in a hospital. You got in a car accident. You'll be fine. No internal bleeding, a few broken bones, a concussion, some major cuts, lots of blood loss. You need to rest for at least a week before getting up to make sure your stitches don't get ripped out, yada, yada, yada.

I didn't care about any of that.

The only thing I cared about was how Axel was doing. Which was why I was now standing outside of his hospital room, being kept upright by my I.V, my arm in a sling, covered in bandages, just staring in through the glass door. Axel wasn't well at all. I asked a nurse how he was when I arrived at his room, and she paled, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, but we don't know his condition right now. The doctors are trying to figure out where the internal bleed is, but if they don't find it..."

She got called away after that.

I nearly sunk to my knees after she left, my head hurting, vision going fuzzy, all that kinda crap, but I clung to my I.V stand, not wanting anyone to come over and make me go back to my room. This was my fault. This entire thing was my fault. I'd been the one driving, I should have been paying more attention to the cross street, I shouldn't have been so mad at what Axel was saying.

Was this repercussion? Did God hate me or something, because right then, I was pretty sure he did. Why else would we have been hit? Huh?

A loud beep sounded from inside the room, and I looked up, eyes wide. The noise had come from the monitor sitting next to Axel's bed, and almost immediately, nurses rushed by me, yelling at each other to get a doctor. I tried to ask one of them what was going on, but I couldn't get the words out.

* * *

I don't remember passing out, but when I woke up again, I was back in a hospital bed. Outside my room, I could hear my dad's voice. I couldn't make out what he was saying. It sounded like he was talking to the doctor about something. Mom was sitting in the chair next to my bed, her eyes puffy from tears I assumed she'd shed earlier, and I slowly called out her name, surprised by the sound of my voice.

It sounded like shit.

Immediately, she stood up, crying again. "Roxas? Oh thank God. I thought...," she sobbed, brushing some hair out of my face. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you want me to get something? Water? Food? I'm sure you're hungry..."

She continued ranting like this for quite a while, until Dad came in and told her she was smothering me, which caused her to burst into tears again and hug me.

"I was so scared when I got the call from the hospital," she whispered to me, "they didn't tell me you were alright, just that you'd gotten into an accident."

"Tifa," my dad warned, "you're going to cause him to pass out again." Immediately, the pressure around my shoulders was gone, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I-I'm fine," I managed to mutter, "I don't need anything."

It was only half true, of course. I wasn't in any pain any more, nor was I hungry, or thirsty; in fact, I felt more alive than I had in a long time. A little groggy, maybe, but that was most likely because of the medicine dripping down through my I.V.

In reality, the only reason I was uncomfortable was because I didn't know Axel's situation. I didn't know how long I'd been asleep either, so for all I knew, he had already been in surgery, or was awake already, acting like his normal cocky, arrogant, self, teasing the nurses, finishing the doctors sentences as they try to explain his condition to him.

Then again, he could also be dead.

"Mom, is Axel okay?" I asked in a hoarse voice, sitting up. Mom look taken aback, though she was about to answer me, but the look on my dad's face was so strange, I had to stop her from speaking. "Dad? What... what's with that look? Did something-"

Shaking his head, Dad sighed, interrupting me. "It's nothing. Just, I've never heard you call Mr. Lea by his first name. It's always been an indirect address, like you didn't know his name."

I looked down at my lap. I wasn't going to tell my father/boss that I really hadn't known Axel's name, and that for the first seven months I'd known him he was "Red" to me... that might end in a disaster.

But had I really never said Axel's name out loud before? I could have sworn I had. Maybe Dad was just confused because he was worried about me.

"Um... alright, but is he okay?" I was desperate to know. When neither of my parents answered me, only exchanging glances with each other, I knew something was wrong, so I threw off my covers and tried to get up. "I have to go see him." Sadly, I didn't get very far. Dad was at my side in an instant, pushing me down against the bed, despite the fact I was struggling against him. "Let me go!"

"Roxas," my mom said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "you have to stay in here. The doctor told us that you passed out the last time you tried to go see Axel. You're not allowed to leave this room until the doctor deems fit."

"But, I need-"

"Mr. Strife," a cool, silky voice from the doorway said, "I assure you that my nephew is in the best of hands. You should be more worried about yourself right now." Nephew?

I glanced at the door. Standing there in a white doctors coat was a very... um... strange looking man who didn't look very friendly at all. I assumed this was my doctor, but nephew?

Was this guy one of Axel's random uncles, and if so, was I completely doomed? Axel had talked about his family before, and he mentioned they were all insane weirdos who couldn't be trusted.

Did this guy, who looked as though he were dying of starvation, and like he was going to try and kill me with those creepy green eyes of his, actually know what he was doing, or was I screwed?

"Now then, Mr. Strife, I'm sorry to say this, but you're not going to be able to get up for at least two days because of the little stunt you pulled earlier. If you want to see Axel, you're going to have to wait," the doctor told me, walking over and adjusting something on my I.V. "Now, I can _tell_ you that Axel isn't dead, but he's not awake either. Still recovering from surgery, I suppose."

Suppose? He _supposed_ that he was still recovering from surgery? What was wrong with this guy?

"I don't mean to sound rude," I began slowly, then shook my head, "Wait, actually, I do mean to sound rude; who the hell are you?" My mother's indignant "Roxas" went completely unnoticed by me, as did my father's chuckle, but the look in the doctor's eyes didn't.

It was rather scary to see him like that. It was almost as if he really were going to try and kill me. He would have all the best chances to do so, being my doctor, and all.

"My name," he hissed, "is Dr. Vexen Adderson, the best doctor in this hospital, and the one in charge of you." He paused for a moment before adding, "I'm also Axel's uncle, so you'd better not get cheeky with me, boy."

I'm pretty sure my mom was confused and pissed beyond all belief, both at me, and at Dr. Adderson. Honestly, I didn't care if she killed me right now. I deserved to die, after all. It was my fault Axel was here, probably dying.

"Now then," Dr. Adderson continued, not really paying attention to me anymore, "I have to go make sure my other patients aren't withering away while I waste my time on a boy who doesn't seem to want to get better." He pressed a button on my I.V machine and laughed. "You should get more rest, boy. You're going to need it."

* * *

That damn doctor! He gave me a medicine that caused me to pass out again! The next time I woke up, it was dark outside, and there was no one in my room. I tried to stand up, obviously not going to follow Dr. Adderson's orders, but even sitting up was difficult. It was so difficult that I eventually gave up, not liking the dizziness that came with moving, resigned.

There was nothing I could do but sleep, so I closed my eyes again.

* * *

"Honestly, Roxie, you just had to land yourself in a hospital," Sora laughed, smacking me upside the head. "And then you had to go and collapse in the hall, twice, making your stay in the hospital even longer!" Sora shook his head and grinned, despite the fact I'd just punched him in the arm. "Man, you're an idiot."

From the corner of the room, Riku was chuckling, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "I'd have to agree with Sora here. I mean, seriously, what's wrong with you?"

These two were getting on my nerves, mainly because they hadn't stopped making fun of me since they'd walked into my room, but also because I knew I was an idiot, but I couldn't help it. I hated being in this stupid room, hooked up to that stupid I.V, my arm in a stupid cast... it was so aggravating that I wanted to just run away! I wouldn't try that, though, because I'm pretty sure someone would kill me if I did; that someone being my mother.

"So, how much longer do you have before Axel's uncle will let you leave this room?" I jumped, not expecting Kairi's voice to come from the doorway.

"Until tomorrow," I told her, looking out the window. "I should be out today but no." It was probably completely obvious that I was totally frustrated by the situation, which would be why Riku laughed at me. I shot him a glare, silently telling him that if he was just going to make fun of me, he should leave, but he ignored it.

I sighed, and lay back in my bed. There wasn't much pain anymore, even though I was pretty sure that was from the morphine, but there also wasn't a feeling that made me want to puke every time I moved, which was a plus. Still, the Dr. Adderson, who I found out was actually Demyx's dad, was being cruel and unusual. I think he was just punishing me for trying to see the guy I almost killed, who still hadn't woken up.

I asked him yesterday if he could take me there in a wheel chair or something, but he just laughed maliciously and walked out of the room.

Needless to say, I really hated my doctor.

"Where's Ellie?" I asked suddenly, noting that she wasn't with Riku.

Normally, when he came to visit me, she did as well, though only for a minute. Then, she would leave and go see how Axel was, not talking at all. It was kinda nerve racking to see her like that. I tried to imagine what she was going through, but I just couldn't imagine Hayner getting so injured that he had to be in the hospital for a long time, or, at least not him getting hurt by accident.

If it was because he was an idiot, that would be a different story.

Riku looked away, a face of sadness crossing his face. "She's with the guy who hit you guys," he replied, not meeting my eyes. I felt a jolt of fear. The guy who hit us had been drunk while driving, which would be why he didn't stop when he was supposed to. I knew he was in the same hospital as Axel and I, but the idea of him being anywhere near me was kinda terrifying. It shouldn't have been; he didn't know that he was going to hit us, and he didn't do it on purpose, but still.

"Why?"

"Because he's going to be the one paying for this whole mess, and Ellie's the one who has to deal with it." Riku sounded pissed, probably thinking the same thing I was. Ellie was upset about the whole thing, practically watching her best friend die before her eyes, and yet she was stuck telling the guy who caused this that he was going to pay for everything...

I was surprised there weren't a huge team of doctors rushing to his room because Ellie had tried to kill him.

"Don't worry," Kairi reassured us, "Ellie won't do anything. I know this is hard for her, but she's good at hiding her emotions. It's what makes her such a good lawyer." That was very true. Or, I think it was.

Really, Ellie always seemed either pissed or amused to me. I'd never seen her in court though, or talking to someone she wasn't close to, so it was very possible Kairi was right about the whole thing.

"Yeah, don't I know it," Riku snorted. Everyone in the room glanced over at him, confused, but he just shook his head. "I'm gonna go now. Everything is so busy right now, since you and Axel are both useless at the moment." He was obviously joking, but I wasn't in any mood to be taking any jokes.

"Well sorry," I snapped. "I didn't mean to get hit by a car!" Riku paused at the door, not saying anything. "And I don't think Axel did either!"

I swear that a cricket could be heard half way across the hospital. Of course, I didn't realize why the three people in my room were so shocked, until Kairi stuttered, "Y-y-you s-said his name! You said Axel's name!"

Not this again...

"Yeah, so?" I glared at the three friends, just begging for them to say something about it. Sadly, Riku decided to take my dare.

"None of us have ever heard you say his name before. Did you think that none of us were going to react to it?" This was extremely aggravating. It was completely normal to know and say the name of your business partner. I don't know why Riku and Kairi were making such a big deal out of this. Sora didn't seem to realize either, as he just stared at his girlfriend, confused.

"It's just a name," I muttered, crossing my arms and looking away. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal, is that we didn't even know you _knew_ Axel's name. I figured you'd made up some nickname for him and was using that all the time."

"Yeah, it's just weird for us to-"

"Axel!" I hissed, "Axel, Axel, Axel, Axel!" Every time I said his name, my voice got a bit louder, and a bit more irritated. Riku, Kairi, and Sora all stayed silent, staring at me like I had something funny on my face, which I'm sure was red with anger. Or embarrassment from saying Axel's name so many times. Didn't know which.

"See," I continued, sitting up completely, "It's just a name. Not that big of a deal. Now go away." It was a bit harsh of me to say that, but really, I just wanted to be alone.

* * *

"Riku told me about earlier."

These were the first words Ellie had said to me since the car accident. It was later that day, the sun was barely setting, and visiting hours were almost over, which would probably be why Ellie was visiting me. No one else was there, Mom saying she had to make sure the house was perfect for me coming home tomorrow, and Dad muttering something about an issue at work.

Riku, Kairi, and Sora, of course, had left without another word when I kicked them out. Kairi seemed the most angry out of all of them, but I was used to it by now.

"Did he now?"

"Yep." An awkward silence fell over us as Ellie walked towards me. She opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it quickly, sitting down in the chair next to my bed. I didn't know why she was here, or what she wanted with me, but if she didn't get out soon, I was probably going to get really mad at her, like I did at the other three.

I didn't want to be mad at them, of course. I just wanted to be alone, have some time to myself while I figured out what was going through my head at the moment. It may have been the drugs I was on for the pain, but I had no idea what to think of the whole situation.

"Roxas..." Ellie said quietly, catching my attention. "Do you like Axel?

"W-What?" I blurted out, trying very hard not to just stare at her with a dumb look. How could she ask me that? Surely she _knew_ that there was nothing going on between me and Axel, and that I didn't like him, and that knowing his name was nothing special, and that Axel and I agreed that we would just act like normal co-workers. She did know that, right?

Rolling her eyes, Ellie leaned back in her chair, a concerned look crossing her face. "Do you like Axel. And I don't mean as a friend, or a co-worker, I mean in a lovers kind of way."

"Wh-what? No! N-no," I spluttered, laughing at the notion. Well, only part of me was laughing. The other part was sitting back and waiting for this entire thing to play out.

"Why would you think that I do?" This question was asked with pure fear that Ellie would figure something out, if Axel hadn't told her already that I'm kinda into him. Or, _was _kinda into him when I had no idea what was going on in my own head. But now there was nothing.

"Because," Ellie replied, "you wouldn't be this worried about him if you didn't. Even if it was your fault."

"What? That doesn't make any sense!" I protested, crossing my arms. "I would be worried about Axel even if I barely knew the guy."

"Sure. I believe you."

"Why does it even matter? Why do you, and Riku, and Sora always come back to that? Can't Axel and I just be friends?"

Ellie didn't say anything, just watching me sadly. I, on the other hand, was breathing heavily, glaring at the lawyer, not sure why I was getting so flustered. Yeah, it was annoying to be asked if you were sleeping with your co-worker, and being asked if you liked him, and being told that you should go out with him, but did I really mind? Was it deep down, I really did like Axel?

No. That was impossible. I'd already been over this in my head, at least a million times; I didn't have any feelings for Axel. Maybe as a friend, if we were ever able to get that far, but that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Finally, Ellie stood up, shaking her head sadly. She moved towards the door, saying nothing to me, and I said nothing to her as she opened the sliding door. But then she paused, and turned to face me.

"He really likes you, you know," Ellie told me calmly. I knew that already though; she didn't need to tell me. It only made me feel worse about everything I'd said to him...

"Yeah, I know."

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I don't think you do. Every time you come up in a conversation, Axel gets this look in his eye, like he's talking about something extremely precious to him. Every time you're near him he acts differently, calmer, less frustrated and angry. When ever you tell him something, or treat him like he's just an annoyance, I can't help but think he's going to cry."

She took a deep breath. "He really loves you, and he has for a lot longer than most people would think."

She turned around again, heading out of the room as I called after her, completely startled by that last statement.

What did she mean by that?

* * *

The first thing I did when Dr. Adderson told me I was free to go, was practically run to Axel's room. Well, actually the first thing I did was escape the grasp of my mother, and I didn't actually run... I more, hurried. I wanted to see how he was, make sure he wasn't dead, see for myself that no one had been lying to me for the past three days.

They weren't.

When I finally reached the floor where Axel was staying, I headed over to his room, ignoring the stinging pain in my left arm. They'd taken me off most of the pain killers, though I still had some minor ones for my broken arm and ribs, but I barely noticed the dull throb that was my arm, the adrenaline of _finally_ getting out of that damn hospital room keeping me going.

At first I thought the adrenaline was good, but when I realized I'd missed the fact that there were a bunch of people waiting outside of Axel's room, I began to think that I should sit down and relax for a bit.

"Whoa! It's Roxie!"

I turned around to see who was talking to me, and saw Demyx sitting on a bench near Axel's room. He was grinning, but there was a hint of depression in his words and eyes.

I quickly headed towards him, ignoring the interesting glances I got from the other people in the room. It was rather unnerving for them to be staring at me like I was some kind of animal in the zoo.

Then again, to them I probably was, as I was the guy who Axel liked.

There was no doubt in my mind that they recognized my name immediately.

"Hey," I muttered, sitting next to Demyx, "Who are all these people?" I soon realized after I'd said this that there were actually two groups of people, one hanging out on one side of Axel's door, and the other hanging out on the other side. It was a bit weird... then, there were two men standing together inside Axel's room.

"All of these guys? Uh... they're Axel's relatives," Demyx said, shrugging. "The two groups are two different families that really hate each other, but are only here because Uncle Xemnas and Saïx would have been upset if they both hadn't come." He gestured to the two guys in the room. "They're Axel's dads, and the guy with white hair is my uncle, Xemnas. The other guy is Saïx."

The two guys looked as though they were about to cry, kinda like how my mom was when she first saw me in the hospital. The one with silver hair, Xemnas, had his arm wrapped around the other guy, Saïx, who was watching Axel with half closed eyes. I wanted to cry at the sight.

"Alright, then whose family are-"

"Guys on the right, Xemnas. Guys on the left, Saïx," Demyx explained. "Only guy not here is Uncle Ansem, but he's probably with Ellie right now."

"Ellie?" I queried, "Why would he be with Ellie?"

"Well, he is her adoptive father."

I scooted away from Demyx a little, startled by what he's just said. I knew Ellie and Axel were close, but I didn't realize they were technically related. I mean, cousins? That was just weird... Wrapping my mind around that idea was so difficult that my brain practically shut down. "Uh... okay then," I eventually said, laughing. Demyx sighed and stood up.

"Yeah, well, I have to go do... uh... stuff. See ya later, Roxie."

"Bye."

Demyx left me completely alone after that, leaving an opening for the other family members to move in.

Not fun.

* * *

"You're Roxas?"

The words sounded like they were accusing me of something, and I looked up, staring into the blue eyes of the only woman I'd seen, who wasn't a doctor or a nurse, on this floor. She had short, electric yellow hair, and a personality that seemed to match it. I hid a sigh, thinking I would be murdered if I let her know I was frustrated.

"Yes," I told her, keeping my eyes trained to hers, despite the fear I felt, "Yes I am. Can I help you?" I had a feeling she hated me. But why?

She said nothing else, only observing me. Without another word, she turned and stalked back towards the only other blonde in the group of people with her nose turned up. I couldn't help but think about how much of a snob she was. The urge to kick her in the shin grew even more when I heard her mutter, "I don't know what Axel sees in him."

Well, she can just go fuck a goddamn duck for all I care! I was plenty good enough for Axel, thank you very much!

I think my headache got worse after I thought that. I mean, me, get defensive about Axel liking me was just screwed up beyond all belief. Or was it? It was just like two weeks ago. My brain was so scrambled from the meds, knowing it was my fault Axel was in this situation, plus what Ellie had told me, made it so I didn't know what my feelings were again.

Dammit.

What could be worse than finally getting closure about your feelings for a guy, then suddenly being forced into _another_ situation where your mind decided it was going to confuse you again and make you question your decision to _not_ explore the possibility that you were gay...

It's like the world was saying, "Haha. I'm gonna fuck with you a bit more because it's fun to see you scramble like this. I'm not sorry your getting screwed over in the process of me having fun."

Wasn't the world just wonderful?

"So, you're Roxie," another voice commented, this one being much deeper. Rolling my eyes, I looked up, expecting to see another prissy person, but was surprised to see a guy who looked as though he'd been to hell and back. Scars, an eye-patch; the whole shebang. Rather creepy, I must admit.

"Uh, yeah."

"You'll have to ignore Larxene there. She's a bit of a bitch."

"You can say that again," I muttered with a sigh.

"Alright, I will. She's a bitch," the guy laughed, sitting down next to me. I scooted away from him a little, not really wanting to get close to this maniac, though he seemed nice enough. He had an aura that reminded me of Axel, though about ten times more uncomfortable for me to be around. "Scared of me?" The guy asked, noticing my small move. For some stupid reason, I nodded.

"Uh, I mean..." I ended up stuttering, flushing from embarrassment. You don't tell someone that you're scared of them, especially not guys who looked as though they would kill you without pausing to wonder if they'd hurt you or not. But luckily for me, the guy just laughed again, slapping my back.

"You're just great, Roxie," he chuckled, then pointed to the large scar on the side of his face. "See this?" I nodded. "Well, I got that fightin' in a war. Got the nickname 'Free Shooter' because the guys in my unit were convinced I was gonna shoot them all the time. So don't worry about thinking I'll kill ya or something, cuz I won't." He reached over and ruffled my hair a bit, reminding me even more of Axel.

Even though I knew these guys weren't really related to him, I wondered if being annoying was hereditary. Then my thoughts actually registered what I'd just been told, and I nearly ran away. It wasn't in any way reassuring...

So I smiled nervously and scooted farther away, leaving him laughing even harder. Pissed me off...

When he finally calmed down, I noticed the funny looks that I'd been getting from some of the other weirdos that I assumed were Axel's relatives. Did they all know that I was the guy driving? If they did, I had a feeling I was going to to have some very murderous people on my hands. Every single person in the room seemed to care very much about Axel.

"I thought you'd be different," the guy sitting next to me suddenly said, "Whenever my nephew over there talked about you, I got this image in my head of some really girly guy who didn't have much of a personality."

Wow. First, Axel talked about me, but then he set me up to be this really weird, boring guy who apparently looked like a girl. Was this really what people thought of me when they first met me? If that was so, maybe I should work on doing something to change that... I mean, I wasn't really boring, otherwise people wouldn't talk to me.

Then again, people were able to guess what I would do most of the time, but that's more predictability rather than being boring. Was I predictable?

"Don't think about what I just said too much, your brain may die."

Lovely image...

But I noticed something about this guy, but not only this guy, pretty much every one of Axel's uh... family, didn't introduce themselves. Dr. Adderson didn't, that weirdo woman, this guy, and some of the other people who had nodded at me when coming or going. How the hell was I supposed to talk to them when they wouldn't tell me their names?

I mentioned this to the guy, and he just chuckled.

"We're a weird group," he told me, leaning back against his chair. "My name's Xigbar. You don't need to know my last name, but I'm Xemnas'... uh, something. I don't even know any more. But we're related or something..." He trailed off, scratching the back of his head as he glanced back and forth between the two groups. "In case you hadn't figured it out, none of us really get along. We're only here because Axel's laid up. You know how that is?"

I actually didn't. Family wasn't something I'd grown up with, other than my parents. No grandparents, no cousins, no aunts, no uncles, no brothers or sisters; it was just me, Mom, and Dad for my entire life.

Axel was lucky.

"I see," I muttered, watching as everyone around the door started to leave. It was almost five, when visiting hours ended. They all looked sad to leave, especially Axel's parents, and I felt really, really, really glad that I was still a patient in the hospital, so I didn't have to leave.

"Well, see ya, Roxie." Xigbar got up to leave, but he paused for a moment before actually going anywhere. "Ya know, Ellie was here before you showed up, and she seemed a bit... dead, I guess." Alright... what was the point of telling me this? "When I asked her what was wrong, she just smiled at me and said, 'the guy Axel's in love with is an idiot who doesn't know his own feelings.'"

"She said what?" Why did she say that? I knew my feelings. I'd decided what they were a long time ago! Well, almost three weeks ago, but a lot happened during that time.

"I think she's wrong though," Xigbar continued, ignoring my little outburst, "I think you do know your feelings, you're just too scared to admit them."

And then, he was gone.

* * *

It was about midnight the next time I visited Axel. I meant to go earlier, when his family had just left, but what Xigbar had said freaked me out a bit, and I, well, chickened out, so to speak. What he'd told me... well, had been the complete and total truth. I knew I had feelings for Axel, feelings that honestly freaked me out more than anything else I'd known. I guess it took him being on the brink of death for me to really understand what was going on in my emotions.

Funny how that happens.

Even as I sat there, next to his bed, in the dark, thinking to myself how horrible he looked, there was a feeling in my gut that reminded me of the first time I'd run into Naminé. A happy-go-lucky type of feeling, one that made me feel so giddy it wasn't funny. That scared me. It was Axel for heaven's sake! The guy I practically hated from the moment I'd met him.

_"You know, I hated your father at first. Really, really hated him. But there was just something about the way he always looked out for me, always helped me out... I don't know what it was, or why it happened, but it did."_

My mother's words decided that then, midnight of my fifth day in the hospital, was the best time to resurface and dance around, taunting me with how stupid I was, and how wonderful it would have been had I actually listened to my mother three weeks ago. Then, I wouldn't have landed the two of us in this godforsaken hospital, and Axel wouldn't be so hurt. I also wouldn't be in pain, but that wasn't what I was worried about.

I hated Axel at first. I really, really did. But like my mom said about Dad; Axel was looking out for me all the time, even when I didn't notice it, always being nice to me, no matter how shitty of a person I was. Even though I denied it all the time, I really did like being around him, I wanted to be with him whenever I was at work, and during that time we stayed away from each other, it was really bad for me emotionally.

I hid that, of course, and I denied it completely, but it was true.

So, at midnight, in the middle of the hospital, with a broken arm, busted ribs, curled up in a chair next to Axel's bed, I finally admitted to myself that I loved Axel.

It felt good.

The steady beeping of the monitor next to me was both annoying and comforting at the same time; annoying in that it was a loud beeping noise, but it let me know Axel was alive, something that had been worrying me. He was still alive. Wonderfully alive.

"Hey, I know you really can't hear me," I muttered after a while, leaning forward, "but... well, I'm sorry. I've been a really big jerk, and well, I shouldn't have." I laughed, closing my eyes. "I-I... I really like you, Axel."

"Finally got the name memorized, I see. It's about fucking time."

I jumped up from my seat, sending it crashing to the floor. Axel was staring at me with his amused green eyes.

"Wh-wh-when... what, how long?" I stuttered, flushing. I think I was shaking, I was so startled from the fact that Axel was awake. Well, startled, and pissed.

"I woke up a little while ago. About... five hours ago." Axel laughed at my face, sitting up. "You're so adorable when you're embarrassed." You'd think that people wouldn't be so jerkish and act asleep while you're upset and thinking they're dying. And I was _not_ embarrassed!

"Y-Y-You bastard!" I yelled, "I thought you were dying, and yet you've been awake for a long time, and I went and confessed my feelings to you and-"

"Yeah, and it was adorable."

What was I supposed to do. I couldn't think straight, I couldn't talk, everything seemed to be spinning, especially when Axel shifted so he was facing me, his legs hanging off the bed. I felt

my face heat up, and his hand went to the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. "But I want to hear it again, from you, to me."

That jerk was having fun with this. Why was he having so much fun with this? It didn't make any sense to me...

"Why would I do that?" I muttered, grabbing the wrist of the hand tickling my neck. "If I had known you were awake, I wouldn't have said anything."

"That's the thing, Roxie. I wasn't asleep, so I heard what you wanted to say. Now then, say it again."

I don't really know what came over me. I guess I just snapped after he said that, and I ripped the hand away from my neck and grabbed his shoulders, leaning down and kissing him. After pulling away, I could see his face was a bit pink, much to my satisfaction, and I told him, "I love you, dammit!"

All Axel did, was kiss me again.


	26. There are two theories

**Alright, so I have two chapters for you this week. And maybe any week from now on. Maybe. What do you guys think? Do you want two chapters a week? Or one chapter a week like I've been doing? It's all up to you my dears :) Also, since I've finished writing Elephant, and I need a new project, I'm going to be working on Something About the Rain, but I need suggestions for chapters. So, if there's anything you guys want to know about the characters pasts, and eventually, what happens to them after Elephant ends, let me know :) So far, I have; How Tifa and Cloud met/fell in love/married, stories about Kairi and Sora before and after Elephant, more about Riku and Ellie, things about Axel's past and how he met Roxas, and... uh... I think some other things, but I'm too lazy to look it up right now**

**Anyway, like I said, I won't be replying to reviews in my author's notes, as it makes the notes too long unless you guys say otherwise. So, let me know :) I appreciate every single review, however, and I never get sick of people leaving reviews! :D**

**So, finals are next week... which means I will have a shit ton of time to write :) Won't be posting anything but Elephant, but still... XD**

**Oh! This chapter is the first one I wrote after my month break, so the writing is still a bit sketchy, but there is a new style :) Let's see if anyone can spot it :) **

**So, as always, enjoy, please review (the number of reviews I've been receiving has gone down and it's rather annoying me... if you like the story, please, review) **

**Now then, onto Riku's first chapter :D  
**

**Full Chapter Title: There are two theories for arguing with women... neither one works**

* * *

"We need to talk about this."

"No, we don't."

"Hm... I think we do."

"No, Riku, we don't."

Riku's eyes narrowed. He and Ellie had been arguing for the past thirty minutes, and as far as he was concerned, she was the most stubborn girl he'd ever met. Of course, he already knew that, having figured it out when he first met her, but right now she was being abnormally bullheaded.

At the moment, she had her back to him, pulling her hair into a tight bun, as she prepared to leave for work. Riku watched as she did this, sitting in one of his kitchen chairs. He said nothing as he watched her, a sad look in his eyes and he wondered what was going through her head at the moment. She had seemed so sad earlier.

"Look, Riku, I have to go," Ellie sighed, turning to look at him, "I don't have time for this right now. If you want to talk about it, then later-"

Riku stood up suddenly, knocking over the chair, and grabbed Ellie's arm before she could open the door.

"There never is a 'later'," Riku muttered. "You always come up with another excuse, and I'm really getting sick of it." He pulled her around so she faced him, their faces only inches from each other. "So, I think we're going to talk about this now."

Flushing, Ellie looking down at her feet, which only made Riku more frustrated.

She was going to try and get away again.

"Riku, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to talk about this," she said, pulling her arm out of Riku's grasp. She looked up at him again, a determined look in her eyes, and she added, "I shouldn't have to explain myself to you."

Clenching his teeth, Riku decided to grab Ellie by the shoulders and shove her against the door, his frustration getting the better of him. She let out a gasp, obviously not expecting Riku to be violent with her. Riku himself was surprised by his actions, but it was too late to take them back now, and he really wanted to know what was going on with Ellie.

"I'm your boyfriend Ellie. Four years. I think I have a right to know why you refuse to move in with me," Riku told her.

Ellie didn't say anything, struggling to move away from Riku, but he held her shoulders tightly.

"Please, just tell me why you don't want to. I'll let it go after that."

Just as Riku finished saying this, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Instantly, he released Ellie's shoulders and moved back, irritation rising at the fact she had just kneed him in the stomach.

"I have to go," she snapped, grabbing the door knob and yanking it open. "Axel's getting out of the hospital today."

Without another word, Ellie stormed out of Riku's apartment, leaving him annoyed and frustrated. He stumbled back to the kitchen, rubbing his stomach, and collapsed in the chair, sighing. All he wanted was an answer. A single answer as to why Ellie refused to even talk about moving in with him.

"She'll probably never talk," Riku muttered, pushing some of his hair out of his eyes. He knew his girlfriend very well, or, more the personality of his girlfriend. What he didn't know, was anything about her childhood.

Who her parents were.

What happened to them.

Where she was born.

When she was adopted.

Why she was so touchy about moving in with Riku.

How she met Axel.

None of these things had an answer, and Riku desperately wanted them to have one. If she was hiding something important about her life... well, that meant she didn't trust him, and Riku didn't like that fact. He wanted to be trusted.

* * *

_"Why are you sitting next to me?"_

_Riku glanced at the strange girl sitting next to him. She was reading a book, most likely one of her textbooks based on the size. _

_"Cos' this is the only open seat," Riku replied hesitantly, looking around to make sure it was completely true. It wasn't, but the girl was looking at her book, so she wouldn't know that. He honestly just sat down in the first open seat he noticed._

_ "No it's not."_

_ Riku let out a sigh and began unpacking his things, not really caring that there was something obviously wrong with this girl. _

_ "Do you not want me to sit next to you?" He had to admit, she was rather amusing._

_ "Nope. Go away," she muttered, finally looking over at him. Riku nearly dropped the book he was holding. This girl had gold eyes. No one had gold eyes. "What?" The girl's tone turned to one of irritation, and Riku noticed that he had been staring at her. Laughing nervously, he looked away from her and began organizing his stuff._

_ "Nothing," he said, "I just wasn't expecting that eye color." Out of the corner of his eye, Riku noticed the girl roll her eyes. _

_ "Yeah. That's what they all say."_

_ "And 'they' would be..."_

_ "None of your business. Go away."_

_ "Hm... I don't really want to know. What's your name?" _

_ Letting out a frustrated sigh, the girl slammed her book shut and Riku caught a sight of the title; '__The Law of Business Organizations'.__ This girl was studying to be a lawyer. _

_"What do you want?" She asked. _

_ "Well, right now I just want to know your name," Riku said, leaning towards her, curious about the girl now. "But maybe later, lunch?"_

_ "Are you flirting with me?" _

_ Riku snorted, pushing some of his hair out of his face. "Possibly. It all depends on how you look at this situation. For all you know, I just want to be friends."_

_ "Go. Away."_

_ "Why do you hate me so much? You don't even know who I am?" Every second Riku talked to this girl, the more interested he became. Most girls threw themselves at Riku, especially since he moved to Radiant Garden. Sluts, college students, even high school girls who thought Riku would give them whatever they wanted. It really irritated him. _

_ But this person told him to go away, even before she saw him. She was definitely someone he wanted to get to know. _

_ "I don't hate you," the girl said, "I just don't want to associate with a guy who thinks he's better than everyone else."_

_ "I don't think I'm better than everyone."_

_ "Yes you do."_

_ "No, I don't."_

_ The girl sighed and turned towards Riku. "You walked in here, looked around, sighed, then walked over to where I was and sat down without even asking if you could. You think you're better than every other person in this room."_

_ Riku snorted. "Looks like someone reads too much."_

_ "We're in a psychology class. I've done my research." _

_ "Weird. Oh well. My name's Riku," Riku said with a laugh, holding out his hand. "I told you my name, now you should return the favor._

_ The girl smirked. "I don't return favors."_

_ "Oh?"_

_ "Look, Riku, it's nice to meet you and all, but if you don't get out of here right now, you're going to regret it." She was threatening him. A girl other than Kairi dared to threaten him. She was even more interesting than Riku first thought._

_ "Fine. Tell me your name, and I'll get out of here," Riku said, then added as an afterthought, "for now." The girl cocked her head slightly, and picked up her book again, before showing Riku a slight smile._

_ "My name's Ellie."_

* * *

Riku hated his office. Small, dark, disorganized, and annoyingly filled with another person that he honestly didn't want to talk to at that moment.

Especially since Sora had woken him from a lovely nap, where he was having a dream about the first time he'd ever met Ellie, in their psychology class, in his third year in college. Of course, after Riku had gotten her name, he left Ellie alone, until they were paired together for the semester project.

Ellie hadn't been happy about that.

Riku had been ecstatic.

But of course, Sora just had to come storming into his office, interrupting his wonderful dream.

"What do you want," Riku sighed, "I thought you were on until two today."

"Yeah, I'm doing my job," Sora said, looking confused. "Ellie told me to come find you."

Riku sat up, immediately interested. "Ellie told you to come find me? Why wouldn't she just come to me herself?" Sure, he and Ellie had gotten into an argument that morning, but at work the two had to act as though nothing weird was going on in their personal lives. One of Ellie's "rules."

"I don't know," Sora replied with a shrug. "I think she's busy with these two weird people who walked into her office. She seemed to know them, but at the same time looked really uneasy, then asked me to find you."

Intrigued, Riku stood up as soon as Sora finished speaking. Without waiting for his friend to say anything else, the silver-haired man was out of his office and walked down the hall as quickly as he could to reach Ellie's office.

The door was closed when he got there, and any other day he wouldn't have thought twice about it, but when Ellie was frustrated, she didn't like her door being closed. She had definitely been frustrated this morning when she left, and Riku had seen her door open earlier that day.

Something was up.

But, instead of just barging in, like he wanted to do, Riku knocked calmly on the door. No one answered. Confused, Riku knocked again, but there was still no sound, so, he opened it.

Ellie looked up at him immediately, a look of helplessness appearing in her eyes.

"Riku! There you are. I sent Sora to look for you a while ago. Where have you been?" She asked, standing up. Riku then noticed the two other people in the room, both of whom were staring at him strangely.

One guy.

One girl.

Both had blue eyes, and both were watching Riku like he was a strange monster or something.

Riku found this to be rather unnerving.

"Uh, Sora just found me. I don't know what took him so long, but-"

"Doesn't matter anymore," Ellie said, standing up. "Riku, I'd like you to meet two of my friends from high school." Completely confused, Riku opened his mouth to tell Ellie he was too busy to meet people from her high school, but there was a desperate look in her eye.

"O-Okay?"

The girl smiled, and stood, extending a hand. "My name's Aqua," she said, and Riku was tempted to laugh. Aqua, water, blue hair. It fit.

"As Ellie said, I'm one of her friends from high school. Or, more particularly, one of her only friends," Aqua continued with a smile. She didn't even seem to realize how horrible that sentence sounded, and how irked Ellie seemed to be.

"And I'm Terra," the guy said. "Also a friend."

"Alright," Riku laughed, shooting Ellie a quizzical look, "Um... can I talk to you, outside?"

Ellie nodded eagerly and shot out from behind her desk, grabbing Riku's arm as she dashed out of the room. When the door had closed behind them, Ellie let out a deep sigh and rested her head against Riku's chest.

"Thank God you showed up...," she breathed, "If I had to be alone with them for an entire day, I would probably kill someone." She shook her head as Riku wrapped his arms around her. "Namely Terra."

"Okay, Ellie, who are these people, and why are you acting so... so..."

"Weird?"

"Yeah."

Ellie sighed and pushed away from Riku. "It's kinda a long story..."

"I don't care, tell me anyway."

"Fine," Ellie muttered. Riku was shocked. Ellie was actually willing to say something about her life? It was strange and unusual. He figured that he was going to regret this slightly. "See, when I first entered high school, a bunch of guys I barely know decided it would be fun to try and... do things to me, in order to piss Axel off. They all hated him, you know, thanks to him being a genius, gay, and five years younger than them, but they couldn't get at him, so they got at me. I didn't care, but Ansem flipped when he found out and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Riku said, placing his hands on Ellie's shoulders. He grabbed her chin and pulled it up so she was facing him. "_Things_? What do you mean? What the hell did those bastards do to-"

"Oi, shut up, or I'm not telling you the story," Ellie threatened, raising her eyebrows. Immediately Riku shut his mouth, but the anger continued to rise. "Anyway, Ansem made me transfer to a new school, a boarding school, and there I met Aqua, who was my roommate, Ven, a kid who followed me around wherever I went, and Terra, an upperclassman who was in charge of showing me around the school. They became my only friends, because I didn't really want to talk to anyone else, and I kinda had... um... a crush on Terra."

Ellie laughed nervously, then looked up at Riku, most likely trying to gauge his reaction, but Riku was still fuming about about something bad happening to Ellie, that he barely noticed her other comments. Or, he didn't until Ellie mentioned that she and Terra started dating when she was a junior, and he was a senior.

"Whoa, what?"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Typical of guys. Only coming into a conversation when he hears something about his girlfriend's old boyfriend."

"Actually," Riku said, "I really don't care that you dated someone before. I'm more surprised you agreed to go out with him."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, look at him," Riku said, gesturing through the window, where he saw Aqua and Terra talking to each other. "He's really attractive."

At first, Riku thought Ellie was going to murder him. Of course, she misunderstood what he meant by that. Ellie had refused for an entire semester to go out with Riku, and her reasoning; "You're good looking. All the girls must be throwing themselves at you and that's irritating." However, Ellie's initial look of anger, turned into one of frustration.

"Uh... Ellie? Are you okay-"

"Do you know how _annoying_ it is to date a guy who's bi?"

Riku had to laugh at her outburst. Then he realized exactly what she said and his eyes became wide.

"Excuse me? Where did that come from?" He didn't know what was going on, or why Ellie had said that. She must have just been kidding...

"Straight guys don't call other men, 'attractive,' Riku."

Riku had to bite his lip to keep from laughing his ass off. For ten years he'd been trying to hide from his two best friends that he tended to be attracted to both girls, and guys. The first time he really realized this was when he was seventeen, and he noticed that he was kinda, sorta, maybe in love with his best friend.

With Sora.

He moved to Radiant Garden to get away from those feelings.

Neither Sora or Kairi ever noticed, but Ellie did, and she only knew him for a couple of years.

Amazing.

"Ellie-"

"I don't care, it's irritating but not the point of this." She took deep breath, glancing back at her office to see if Aqua or Terra were listening. "I broke up with Terra a year later after he had a psychotic break."

"Psychotic break?"

"Well, I didn't actually break up with him. More, he tried to kill me and I vowed never to see him again."

"He tried to kill-"

"Shut up Riku."

Riku clamped his mouth shut, but was still fuming. That guy shouldn't be in the office. He should be in a mental hospital.

"Anyway," Ellie continued, leaning against her door. "A few years back, Aqua got in touch with me and said that she was taking care of Terra, and that he'd been medicated and what not, so I decided to talk to him again. Then he, and Aqua, and Ven all showed up here and-"

"Holy shit!"

Sora's voice could be heard on the other end of the floor, and then there was a thump, followed by extreme laughter. Ellie and Riku exchanged quick glances, before Riku took off, wanting desperately to know what was going on with Sora.

When he reached the place where he heard Sora's shout come from, he saw a very peculiar scene.

Sora was leaned over, laughing so hard he wasn't breathing, or even making a sound, and standing over him was Roxas, only, it wasn't Roxas. Sure, he had the same hair color and style, the same eyes, and similar clothing to Roxas', but he didn't have a cast on his left arm, or random cuts and bruises that still covered his body from the car accident.

Plus, Roxas hadn't been back in the office since he was hospitalized, pretty much staying with Axel the entire time. Or, he was always in the hospital room whenever Riku visited he red-head. The two of them had been acting strange recently...

But another strange thing about this boy, was how terrified he looked to see Sora laying on the ground laughing. When Riku showed up, the guy glanced up at him, then down at Sora, then back up at Riku.

'Help me,' he mouthed. Riku guessed he probably would have screamed it if the guy hadn't been so scared his voice had died on him.

"Dude, Sora, stop laughing. You're scaring the guy."

Taking a deep breath, Sora managed to sit up, still giggling madly. "But, he looks so much like Roxas. It was so funny to see him not in the hospital."

"H-hospital?" The strange guy whispered. "Wh-what?"

"Ven!"

Ven? This was one of Ellie's friends from high school, and he looked exactly like Roxas... Riku wondered what Ellie's reaction was when she first met him. It was probably a "WTF" moment.

Ellie was next to Riku before he knew what was going on, and she looked like she was on death's door.

"Every time... every time I talk to these three, insanity happens." She sighed, "I'm just glad Axel isn't here to see this. He would so be entertained..." Riku snorted. There was no doubt Axel would be extremely amused by what was happening.

* * *

"Well, that was a very amusing day," Riku laughed as he drove him and Ellie back to his apartment. She seemed so tired after sending Aqua, Ven, and Terra and out of the office, that Riku offered to take her back to his house and made dinner for her. She was so grateful for this offer she quite literally glomped him in the middle of her office, something she'd never done before.

"Please don't remind me," Ellie moaned. "I don't want to talk about it." She glanced over at Riku, pouting. "I don't think I'm going to talk to those guys any more." She looked sad, yet also relieved when she said this.

Laughing, Riku said, "You know, friends are a bit odd sometimes. But they're still your friends-"

"They're not my friends," Ellie muttered. "Not anymore."

Riku glanced at his girlfriend as he pulling into his apartment's parking lot. When he turned off the car, he reached over and stroked Ellie's cheek.

"They seemed to be your friends. And it was just Terra who hurt you, right?" Riku asked, not sure why Ellie was so hurt by the three of them. Terra, he got. Almost being killed by someone didn't exactly seem like something a normal person would get over very quickly, but what did that Ventus guy and Aqua do?

"It's nothing, never mind." Ellie brushed Riku's hand away from her face before opening the car door. "Come on. You promised me food."

_She's hiding something from me. Again,_ Riku thought, sighing. _Why does she keep all of these secrets from me?_ Even though Ellie was already at Riku's apartment door, unlocking it with her own key, Riku didn't move from his spot.

Yes, he had offered to make Ellie dinner so she would calm down, but it was also a way to get her to actually answer his questions. Meeting those three people, three people from Ellie's past made Riku even more desperate to figure out what was going on in his girlfriends life. Were there more horrible things that Riku didn't know about?

Was Ellie suffering alone?

* * *

"Riku, why are you bringing out wine?" Ellie asked, smiling. She was much calmer than earlier, having had dinner, and time to relax. But Riku was still convinced she had something close to a stick up her ass.

"Because," Riku said, pouring a glass for the female sitting on the leather couch in the living room, "you need to loosen up a bit. You're a twenty-six year old woman who's the only active lawyer in a huge ass company, plus you're an orphan and you're best friend is...well, Axel." He laughed. "You never just relax."

Handing the glass to Ellie, Riku sat down next to her, a drink in his own hand, and pulled a blanket up over them. Ellie laughed. She leaned against Riku, snuggling up close to him, her eyes sliding closed.

"You're such a sappy romantic, you know that, right?"

"I am not!" Riku protested, but Ellie just continued laughing, and Riku placed his drink on the table next to him so he could wrap his arms around Ellie's small body.

"I never said it was a bad thing," she muttered.

Riku smiled, leaning down to kiss Ellie gently on the top of the head. He knew she would be embarrassed by that gesture, but he loved seeing her turn bright red. However, the nice evening couldn't last very long, and both Riku and Ellie could sense that. After a few more moments of the peace, Ellie pulled away, taking a sip of her drink before placing the drink on the coffee table.

"Riku."

"Hm?"

"Why do you want to know about my childhood so badly?" Riku didn't know how to answer that, and all he could do was watch as Ellie looked down at her hands, shaking. "Can't I have my privacy? A few secrets that I can just keep to myself and-"

"We've been dating for four years, almost five," Riku interrupted. He stood up suddenly, his back to Ellie, not really wanting to see her reaction after he said what was really on his mind. "Ellie, I really, really love you," he added after a moment of hesitation. "But if after four years you don't trust me enough to even tell me _why_ you were adopted," he took a deep breath, "then I don't think I can continue being your boyfriend."

He could hear Ellie stand up, and she seemed to be lost for words, something that never happened. A dark feeling rose in the pit of Riku's stomach as he walked away from the couch.

"I'm sorry, Ellie-"

"My parents were murdered."

Riku stopped in his tracks, eyes widening. Slowly, he turned back around to face Ellie, and was completely shocked to see that she was crying, her hands were clenched, and her entire body was shaking. The only other time he'd seen her like this was right after she got the call from her uncle about Axel being in a coma. She was really upset.

"What?"

"When I was four. My parents, and my sister were killed. A robbery." Ellie shook her head violently, then wiped the tears from her eyes. "I came home and found them... I didn't know what was going on, but they weren't moving, and then there were gun shots, and-" she choked on her words, and Riku walked tentatively over to her.

He slowly pulled her into a hug, not sure what to say, or even how he should be feeling. It was twenty-two years ago that this happened, and Ellie was having so much trouble talking about it. It didn't even sound like she was the one speaking, her words were so disjointed.

"Every one I love or come close to," she muttered into Riku's chest, "I lose." She pulled away slightly and looked up at Riku, her eyes slightly puffy from her tears. "I don't want to lose you."

And then, Riku leaned down and kissed her before she could say anything else. When he pulled away, he muttered;

"You won't lose me, Ellie. I promise."

* * *

"I only have one more question for you."

"Hm?"

"Axel, you know him really well, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I went onto his computer one time, searching for some kind of record he didn't give me, and I found an open file talking about a guy who looks a lot like him... he came back in before I could find out the name though, and he said it was just someone he was looking for. Who?"

"... I'm not supposed to say."

"Oh come on!"

"What? He and I are best friends. I'm supposed to keep his secrets."

"Yeah, but from me?"

"Riku..."

"Come on."

"Alright, alright. He's... he's looking for his father."

* * *

**So... what did ya think? Interesting, ne? :) REVIEW!**

**I had to edit this... one of the section breaks was removed... sorry to all of you who've already read this chapter and were confused by the ending!)  
**

**~Sunechirei  
**


	27. Legally Morally Personally

**-_- Seriously people? No reviews? -_- Maybe I should just stop posting chapters, if no one's going to bother telling me what they think... **

**Anyway, sorry this is late... I meant to post it last night, but fell asleep, but I had to get up early today. I'm singing in my school's graduation and I have to be there by noon... *sigh* Only three more days of school left...**

**So, I won't say much, because I have nothing really _to_ say, but I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review. Seriously. Please review. Or no more chapters. It sounds shallow of me, but I feel it's reasonable for me to say I want one review so I know what people think of the chapter. If I don't get anything from anyone, I feel that no one likes it, and it's not worth my time to post the chapters on here. I have friends who read it over email, and at school. That's enough for me. **

**Have fun learning more about Roxas and Axel's new relationship :)**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: "Legally, it's questionable. Morally, it's disgusting. Personally, I like it"**

* * *

It had been three days since Axel had been released from the hospital. Dad refused to let him come back to work until he was completely better, meaning no bandages, or casts, or bruises; nothing that showed he'd been in a car crash recently would be allowed on Axel's body if he wanted to come back into the office.

So, naturally, if I wished to see my... um... my... uh... boyfriend, I had to make up excuses to go see him. At his apartment.

Let me tell you something; it's really, really hard to come up with good ones without informing your entire friend group that the guy you hated at first, was now the person you were going out with. And that you're now gay...

So, the fact that Ellie came to my office a few hours ago, begging me to go check up on Axel because she hadn't heard from him and she was too busy to, I eagerly agreed.

Well, "eagerly." It was more I nodded, and stayed completely silent as she handed me her spare key and told me that Sora wouldn't be home, and if Axel was sleeping I was supposed to let him stay asleep. Sounds like an easy, good way to see how he was doing and not raise any suspicions about my motives.

Let's just say, that when Ellie asked me to check up on him, I was not expecting to end up in the situation I was in now; pinned to a messy bed, underneath a shirtless Axel, with the door closed, and his hand slowly teasing up my chest.

…. I don't even know how we got in that position. Oh wait, yes I do.

No, I'm not going to say.

"Why hello there, Roxie. I wasn't expecting you to show up here," Axel whispered, "I thought Ellie was going to come visit." He leaned down so his face was only inches from mine. "But I like this better." Before I could answer him, Axel's lips were suddenly placed on top of mine, and though they stayed there for only a moment, my entire body went hot.

I swear, if I didn't know better, I wouldn't have guessed that this red-headed freak had just been in the hospital for three weeks after nearly dying in a car crash. Maybe it was a good thing that I did know, because otherwise I would have punched the guy in the stomach.

You know, because he was being all perverted and what not.

Not that I really minded.

"Thinking of something violent?" Axel asked, just before he kissed me again, "I thought we were over that Roxie."

My cheeks heated up from embarrassment, and I stuck out my tongue. "You're acting like a freak of nature, Axel. Of course I'm going to imagine many different ways to get you the hell off of me."

He grinned, and I suddenly became very, very afraid. "Oh, you wouldn't dare hurt me, not since I just got out of the hospital. And besides, do you really want me to get off you?" He leaned in closer to me, allowing his chest to barely touch mine.

If I were to be completely honest with both myself, and Axel, my answer wouldn't have been an blunt, "No," but I wasn't being honest. I was still trying to keep a small shred of my dignity, even though it was hard to do that after being tackled onto a bed by a sick, injured, guy who'd just been sleeping. Still, even just a small amount would be better than nothing, which is why I said that I would rather face a thousand pissed off Riku's, then spend another moment in this situation.

I should not have said that. Instead of taking it as an insult, like most people would, Axel decided that I was challenging him.

He accepted this challenge.

"Whoa! Axel!" I exclaimed when he started unbuttoning my shirt. "I'm serious, stop!" Okay, as much as I was kinda sorta maybe enjoying what was happening, it had started to go a little bit too far.

But, I was really the only person in the room who thought this, unfortunately.

"Why should I stop," Axel hissed. "No one else is here, so you should be very happy."

"I never said I wasn't," I muttered, looking away from him. If I hadn't said this, there's a chance Axel would have just let me up, allowed me to make sure he was okay, call Ellie, and leave, but no. I had to say that. I just _had_ to tempt him.

"Good," was all he said before attacking my neck with his mouth. Instinctively, I grabbed his thin arm with the hand that wasn't attached to the shitty broken arm of mine, and clenched my teeth. Man, I was so glad that Ellie asked me to stay with Axel until she got off of work, because after he began kissing my neck, I just completely gave up fighting against him.

Not that I was trying very hard to in the first place.

Soon, Axel pulled away from me, a nasty smirk plastered on his face. "What's wrong, Roxie?" he cooed, probably talking about my extremely red face. "Embarrassed."

Hell yeah I was embarrassed. Or turned on. I couldn't figure out which. But instead, I didn't answer him, my eyes traveling down to his bare chest. Stretched across his abdomen was a large scar; the scar that always reminded me of what happened to us, what I had caused. Sure, it wasn't actually my fault, and really the person who should be taking all of this guilt was the man who hit us, not me, but it didn't exactly work that way.

Somewhat daintily, I removed my hand from Axel's wrist and traced the scar with a single finger. As I did this, I could feel Axel shiver slightly, but he was still grinning. You know, no matter what I did, Axel was always smirking at me. Well, unless he was angry or being completely serious. But that didn't happen very often.

"Like my battle scar?" Axel asked suddenly, shifting so he could grab my hand with his own, pulling it away from his chest, and to his face. He kissed the palm lightly, that cocky smile still on his face, and it got wider as I felt my face heat up.

This guy...

Suddenly, I felt the need to make him feel the same embarrassment that I did. So naturally, I moved my hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down, crushing my lips against his. Despite the fact that my eyes were closed, I knew Axel was completely surprised by my actions. His body tensing, the hand on the sheets beside me tightening, and a little gasp were a dead give away.

I was pretty much lost, caught in a battle of desire and reason. I mean, Sora could show up any moment, and see what was happening, then know we were going out. I'd tried too hard to keep our relationship a secret from everyone for that to happen.

Then again, I think the idea of getting caught helped with my irrationality, because the more I thought about what would happen if Sora showed up, the deeper my kiss became.

And naturally, Axel responded with equal, if not greater, intensity.

However, I was sick of Axel being all controlling, so instead of just giving in like I'd done in the past (namely at Twilight Town), I pushed the red-head up, pulling away from him slightly to catch my breath.

When my breathing stopped being labored, my hand moved to the center of Axel's chest, and I shoved him down, smiling a bit. The look on Axel's face was completely priceless; blank, confused, sea-green eyes wide, and lips parted slightly. I couldn't help but let out a little laugh as I straddled his waist, then leaned down, kissing him gently.

Yeah, that's right. I can be the dominate one sometimes. I'm not completely girly.

After breaking the kiss, I whispered to Axel, "I love your 'battle scar.' It's very sexy."

Honestly, I have no idea where that came from, and I didn't get any time to figure out the answer, thanks to a sudden banging open of a door, and a shocked gasp. I looked up, and to my horror, but not surprise, I saw Sora and Riku, eyes wide, and jaws dropped in surprise. Seeing as my worst nightmare had just occurred, I did the only logical thing;

I froze.

Like, completely and totally froze. My thoughts were scattered, going from, "Oh shit, now I'm going to get it," to, "Yay. Finally, they know. Now I can get on with my life."

Axel, on the other hand, didn't seem phased by the appearance of his roommate and Riku, as he just sighed, shaking his head.

"Boys, if you want a show, you're going to have to pay," he said, voice completely calm. I glanced down at him, confused. I guess a part of me knew what he meant, but the other part was bewildered by what Axel said.

Sighing, he grabbed my shoulder and pushed me off him.

"Damn, you guys just had to barge in and ruin the moment." He shook his head. "Five more minutes and I would have totally gotten into Roxie's pants."

I think it was that last sentence that made my mind come back to reality, and I flushed red, even though I could hear the obvious joking tone in Axel's voice. Mainly because he was probably right about that. Five more minutes... I bet if I did get to continue, that is about how long it would have taken for... yeah...

Axel's chest had been blocking my view of Riku and Sora since he'd pushed me off him, and I got tired of not knowing what was going on, so I chanced a glance at the two.

Before that day, I'd never seen Sora speechless, and I never thought I would, but there he was, his hand still on Axel's door knob, Riku standing behind him, with his mouth open, and silent. It was rather nice.

Then, I felt Axel's hand on my side, urging me to get off the bed and leave, probably so the two of them didn't figure it out.

One nice thing about Axel that I didn't notice until a week ago; he was very understanding. He knew I didn't want anyone to know about us, for reasons that I was too embarrassed to talk about, but instead of making fun of me like I thought he would, he just smiled and nodded, telling me that it wasn't that big of a deal.

Anyway, I slid off Axel's bed, trying to act like the scene Riku and Sora had witnessed was Axel's fault, sending him mock glares. I hoped they looked real...

"So," Axel said in that condescending voice of his, "what can I do for you boys, now that you've interrupted my afternoon fun?" At first, I thought they were just going to ignore what they saw, but when I heard a sudden burst of laughter from them, I knew I was screwed.

"Fifty bucks if you kiss Roxie," Sora chuckled crossing his arms, and suddenly I was angry. I'd forgotten about the conversation I'd had with these two before the car accident. The two of them only saw my life as a form of entertainment, so of course he would say that.

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen," Riku said with a smirk. "Axel's too much of a wuss to try anything with Roxie, especially not with us in the room." I felt my face heat up, but said nothing. "Besides, Roxie here would probably punch him in the face."

I don't really know what Axel did after Riku said that, but it just caused both boys to laugh.

"You know what," Riku continued, "I'm going to go in on that bet. Fifty if you kiss Roxie."

I expected Axel to laugh and tell them that was an invasion of privacy, or something along those lines, but no.

Instead, I felt a hand wrap around my upper arm, and I was spun around before I could get any farther from the bed. Another hand grabbed the back of my head and pulled it down, allowing Axel complete access to my mouth, and another kiss.

It wasn't a light peck, however. Either Axel was desperate for something, or he was apologizing for acting like a complete jerk in front of Riku and Sora because _man_ was he into that kiss. The last time I'd been kissed like that was right before Axel got me half naked in Twilight Town.

If the two intruders weren't there, I probably wouldn't have pulled away, but that would be suspicious. As soon as we parted, Axel whispered a breathy apology, and let me go, turning to grin at his two friends.

"You owe me money, Sky, Finnigan," he said with a laugh. "Pay up."

All I could do was blush, turning away from Axel and dashing out of the room, not caring if I crashed into Sora and Riku or not.

"Jerk."

* * *

My phone buzzed in my pocket, sending an annoying shock throughout my entire system. Again. For the eightieth time. Quickly, I whipped it out, trying to hide the fact that I had my phone on me while in a meeting with Ellie and my father, to see who it was. I nearly groaned when I saw the name on the caller I.D.

_Red._

Axel hadn't stopped calling me for the past hour, probably trying to apologize in a better way for what happened earlier. I wasn't ignoring him on purpose, of course. I'd been busy since coming back to work, but I had to admit, it was nice having a reason not to talk to Axel.

Sure, the whole kiss thing was just a ruse to make me look pissed so I'd leave and knock the idea of me and Axel having a relationship out of Sora and Riku's head, but it still angered me that he'd been so intimate with me in front of those two. I mean, wouldn't a simple kiss have sufficed? Did he really _have_ to practically make out with me?

I sighed, but before I could press the "ignore" button, my phone was taking from me with accuracy and speed that only my father could accomplish.

Startled, I looked up at him. His face was contorted, like he wasn't happy with what he saw on my phone screen.

"Red?" He queried, glancing between me and Ellie. "Who is Red, and why have they been calling you practically non-stop for the past hour?"

I was speechless.

Ellie was not.

Thank God.

"Probably Axel," she said with a shrug. "That was your nickname for him, right Roxas?"

How did she know that? I was careful never to call Axel "Red," back before I knew his name, and it's impossible for a person to know what goes through my head, even though _apparently_ I'm as readable as an open book. I shuddered slightly, thinking about how Ellie always knew things about the people in this office. I wasn't completely convinced the things she knew were necessary for her job. Maybe she's just a creeper...

"Red?" Dad questioned. "Why would you call Mr. Lea that? And why is he calling you?"

What could I say? I didn't _mean_ to forget Axel's name... I guess I just took his first "got it memorized" as a challenge to completely forget everything about him. Chances are, if he hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have remembered his name after New Years, either. New Years... man, if Ellie hadn't gotten that concussion, I probably wouldn't be in the situation I was in.

I'm going to have to thank her if she ever finds out that Axel and I are going out.

Which she will.

Man I'm off topic.

"Roxas?"

Sighing, I snatched my phone back and sent a glare towards my father. "I don't want to talk about it." I don't think my father has ever seen me act like this before, and it certainly shocked him. I was always respectful towards my parents unless they really irritated me and I snapped. I probably shouldn't have been so sassy, because my dad knew something was up now, and he got this look on his face that basically told me he was going to find out what it was.

Crap.

Ellie, noticing the tension between me and Dad, clapped her hands suddenly and said, "Alright, I think we're done here. Roxas, may I speak with you?"

The fact that Ellie wanted to talk to me was rather nerve racking, mainly because I wanted to just get out of there, ditch my cell phone so Axel couldn't call me anymore, and just take a nap. If I could just take a nap everything would seem better. Much, much better.

But of course, my father left before I could, leaving me in a room alone with Ellie, so I couldn't escape. She would probably kill me if I tried to get away.

"Can I help you?" I asked, laughing nervously at Ellie's hard stare. She didn't seem mad, or happy, or frustrated... it was like she was brooding over something. "Hello?"

"I need your help with something," she said, sighing lightly. "And I don't care how you feel about this, I really, really need your help."

Ellie was asking me for help? _Ellie_ was?

"What can I help you with?" I asked her, somewhat curious. She never asked anyone for help, no matter how stressed out she seemed or how busy work made her. If she really needed my help for something, I guess the only thing I could do was help.

"It's about Axel," she said hesitantly, gauging my reaction. However, I was calm. Calm and curious, so I just nodded. "Well, it's his birthday on the eighth, and he's turning twenty-six, so I want to put together a surprise party for him."

Right, April eighth... Axel's birthday... twenty-six.

Axel's seven years older than I am. That occurred to me when Ellie reminded me of his birthday, and I had to laugh. I was dating a guy who was seven years older than I am. If it had been two years ago that I met Axel, he would be considered a pedophile.

_"He really loves you, and he has for a lot longer than most people would think."_

I don't really know why Ellie's words echoed through my head right then. Maybe I'd begun to wonder how long he liked me. Axel didn't seem like the kind of guy who fell into the cliché of "love at first sight," which meant he'd met me before. I'd have to ask him about that.

"Roxas, focus," Ellie said suddenly, snapping her fingers right in front of my eyes. I jumped, then wanted to hit my head on the table for spacing out again. Every time I did something with Axel, my brain was so scattered I spaced out. So naturally, the fact that we'd been making out earlier made my thought process die.

"Sorry," I told her, shaking my head. "A bit tired." A nice lie, but Ellie didn't seem convinced.

"Well, Sora and I are currently planning on a surprise party. Can you help at all?"

A surprise party? I didn't like surprises... but, of course, I really didn't have a say in the matter. Ellie wasn't actually asking me if I could help, more like she was telling me I had to assist. You know, do something in return for getting Axel in a car accident. I know she blamed me for that... I mean, she talked to me once the entire time I was in the hospital, and after that she only spoke to me so she could keep tabs on Axel.

Yeah, she was definitely doing this because she was pissed. At me. For Axel getting hurt.

I'm so glad Axel's gay, because otherwise I'd be thinking Ellie was his ex-girlfriend and she was jealous or something. But no, she's just his concerned friend/cousin who happens to work for my father...

Why do I always end up in such odd situations with such weird ass people?

"Um... yeah. I can help. What do you want me to do?"

I really didn't like the look on Ellie's face when I asked her this, almost as though she were planning something. "I don't need you to do much. Just, keep him away from his apartment for a few hours. Go on a date or something."

I flushed. "Date? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, it's a figure of speech, Roxas. Calm down," Ellie muttered, rolling her eyes. "Just take him downtown and keep him busy." She smirked. "I'm sure you can do that without much trouble."

"What the hell does that-" I started to say, but Ellie cut me off, shaking her head.

"Doesn't matter." She passed by me, patting me on top of my head. "Oh, and Roxas," she called out when she was by the door. I looked up, letting her know I was listening. "Don't forget to get him a present."

* * *

A present. I had to get Axel a present. I didn't know what to get him! This was Axel we're talking about. He never told me anything about what he liked, or much else about him. I tried to ask questions, but it didn't work too well. He just changed the subject on me.

So, how was I supposed to know what to get him for his birthday?

Well, Sora was certainly no help... neither was Riku, and Kairi still wasn't really talking to me. Naminé would get pissed if I asked her for help, and the two of us were _finally_ starting to talk to each other again, so I was all alone in the search for the perfect a good present that would be given to Axel.

Have I ever said that I think the world hates me?

Pondering this, I opened the front door to my house and inched past the living room, trying not to catch the attention of my mother. Sure, I was feeling better, and the doc said I could get my cast off in a few days, (right before Axel's birthday... yay?) but Mom insisted I check in with her whenever I got home so she knew I was perfectly fine.

I'm not a two year old anymore, which is why I refused to go talk to her every day after work (or visiting Axel as in earlier cases). This seemed to greatly irk her, and she started insisting I came home at exactly four o'clock.

Yeah, like I was going to do that.

Luckily, she seemed preoccupied on the phone when I got home, so she didn't even notice when I stumbled over a large box that took up the middle of the hallway leading to the stairs. I gave it a strange look, not sure exactly how to react to it, but continued on before Mom could actually do anything.

Advice for the future: Never ignore a strange box in the middle of the hallway. It could be the one thing that changes your life forever.

But, I didn't find out what the significance of that box was for a while, so I'll just continue on with finding a present for Axel.

Finally, I made it to my bedroom, and when I closed my door, I leaned against it, completely exhausted. It's amazing how much keeping a huge secret can tax a person's energy, especially when they almost get caught in the lie. Briefly, I wondered if it would just be better if I told everyone I was seeing Axel, but honestly, I didn't think it would go well.

I decided I should talk to Axel about it.

Axel...

Birthday...

Present...

I groaned before throwing myself on my bed, nearly screaming. What the hell could I get that weirdo?

Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Slowly, I lifted my head from my pillow and glanced at the bedside stand next to the bed, eyes traveling to the drawer. I reached over to it, my hand shaking slightly at the idea going through my head, and I opened the drawer. It was there, sitting the middle of a bunch of other crap, so I picked it up, examining the specimen carefully.

It was the perfect gift.

I just hoped he liked it.

* * *

My hand was frozen in front of the door, not sure if I should knock or not. Sure, Sora had given me the okay to go to his apartment and drag Axel out of the house to go around town while he, Ellie, Kairi, Riku, and, to my surprise, Naminé, set up his party, but I was still hesitant.

What if Axel refused to come with me? He was stubborn like that. Plus, I'd been kinda avoiding him since he'd made a hundred bucks off Sora and Riku for kissing me. I bet that wasn't sitting well with him. He hadn't even tried to call me, even though it'd been five days since that happened.

With a sigh, I gathered up my courage, flexing my recently fractured hand as I prepared to knock.

Finally, I did.

I heard crashing from inside as someone scrambled, probably from the back of the apartment, to the front door. Thinking Axel was already there, I waved hesitantly, smiling a bit.

The door opened immediately.

Standing there, half dressed in normal Axel clothing, was my boyfriend, panting, and looking as confused as I had felt a few months ago. I wanted to laugh, but I was afraid he'd slam the door in my face, so instead I waved again.

"Happy birthday, Axel." The way Axel was staring at me sent chills down my spine, and I took a step back. "Uh... I take it you're busy, so I'm going to just-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Axel reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me not only into the apartment, but also into a warm embrace. I heard the door close behind me, as my face heated up.

"I'm sorry, Roxas," he muttered, "Sora and Riku were just really irritating me, and I wanted to prove them wrong, but I went too far... I'm really sorry."

Feeling somewhat embarrassed for acting like a jerk over something so small, I wrapped my arms around Axel's waist and shook my head.

"You don't need to apologize... I was just... you know, surprised." I laughed, and Axel pushed me away from him slightly, a confused look on his face. Shrugging I held up my left arm. "Look," I told him with a smile, "cast's gone." We both started laughing at this point, unable to deal with the tension any longer.

"So," Axel said after his laughter had calmed down a bit, "why are you here?"

I hated it when people asked my motives for things. Can't a guy visit his boyfriend whenever he felt like it? Was it a crime to make sure everything was alright between you and the one you liked? I didn't voice these complaints, however, as I'm sure Axel would have known something was up, and then his party wouldn't exactly be a surprise.

"Well," I told him, "you've been cooped up inside for the past few weeks, and I thought, maybe, you'd like to come out with me and hang out for a bit. You know, like... um..."

"A date?"

I blushed. "Yeah, a date."

Axel was quiet for a short time, seeming to watch my every move with great interest. Suddenly, he grabbed my shoulders and planted a quick kiss on my mouth.

"Hell yeah I want to go." He looked about five years old then, eyes shining, mouth turned up in a goofy grin... if he wasn't at least eight inches taller than I was, I would have suspected he _was_ a five year old... you know, one in disguise.

"Well, you should probably get dressed then," I laughed, pointing at Axel's bare chest. "You'd get arrested for going out like that."

Axel smiled. "Yeah, and we all know what happened last time the police were involved." Flashes of the second time I met Axel appeared in my head, and I let out a groan. Worst day of my life, and he just _had_ to mention it...

"Whatever," I muttered. "Just get dressed so we can go."

"Yes sir," Axel answered me, but he didn't move. I was about to ask what he was doing when an evil glint appeared in his eyes, and I became very afraid. "But first... how about I take my present from you. After all, it is my birthday." That caused quite a bit of confusion on my part. How could Axel know about the present I had for him? Maybe he just assumed I'd gotten him something, or maybe...

When Axel pushed me up against the door and began kissing me, I figured out what he meant.

_Sly son of a bitch..._.

* * *

Going on a date with Axel was... well, both awkward and fun at the same time. He was completely convinced that no one would care that two guys were walking around holding hands, but I was hesitant to do anything, one hundred percent sure someone I knew from high school would walk up and see me.

I wasn't exactly ready for the whole world to know that I was dating a guy...

So instead, the two of us went to the large park in the center of town, where almost no one was, and had a few weird ass conversations. These conversations were so messed up, I think a few of my brain cells died... I mean, who talks about squirrels trying to take over Radiant Garden and eat everyone's brains so no one would retaliate and bring out the exterminators?

Axel and I do.

But it wasn't all weird, and by the time I got the text from Sora telling me they were ready, and we should head back now, I was really disappointed the day was ending. Soon, I was going to have to share Axel's time with all the other people we were friends with.

Ellie, Riku, Sora, Kairi, Naminé, Demyx, and that creeper from Hallow Bastion, Zexion. That's all the names I was able to gather from the broken conversations of my co-workers. They refused to tell me anymore than there was going to be a party, and I needed to distract Axel for a few hours while they set up the place...

I can't wait until I'm their boss, and they _have_ to tell me these kinds of things...

So, after I read Sora's text, I made up an excuse about being tired to Axel, and the two of us headed back to his apartment. We didn't talk all the way back, unfortunately. I liked how Axel talked. I never noticed it before, but recently it's been like I'm hyper sensitive to everything he does. I never had that with Naminé...

Finally, we reached the door to Axel's apartment, and I knew that everyone was inside. I wasn't really looking forward to the whole surprise thing. I just hoped Axel didn't mind at all.

"Thanks for today, Roxas," Axel said suddenly, pulling out his key, "I really had fun."

"So did I," was my reply, though I was kind of distracted, wondering if I should stay away from the door when Axel opened it or not. My attention was quickly brought back to reality, however when I felt Axel's warm lips on my forehead.

"I'm serious, Roxie. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, I've been so happy, being with you...," he laughed quietly, pressing his forehead against mine. I was glad everyone in the apartment was hiding. "I love you."

He kissed me quickly, then turned to his door unlocking it quickly. I stood there, shocked. I wasn't expecting him to say that.

Only a loud "Surprise!" got my attention back to planet earth, and I grinned slightly, observing my boyfriend's shocked, yet irritated expression.

It seemed Axel didn't liked surprises either.

"What... what's this?" Axel asked, turning towards me. I brought my shoulders up to my ears, still grinning.

"Surprise," I told him, loving the annoyed look on his face. He glanced around the room where everyone else was laughing at his expression, then his eyes landed on the golden-eyed girl sitting in the middle of the room.

"Ellie!" he hissed, shaking his head. "You _know_ I don't like surprises."

Ellie's reaction was not something I was expecting. She slipped off the couch she sat upon, and walked over to the two of us, her eyes never leaving Axel.

"This, oh dearest cousin, is called payback."

Payback?

What?

* * *

I remember sitting near Riku and Sora as the two of them competed at poker, when all of a sudden I was being dragged away by a strong pair of arms. I didn't struggle. I was too tipsy for that.

"What are you doing?" I asked, realizing rather quickly it was Axel who held onto my arms. "They're going to see..." I shut my mouth when the bedroom door closed behind me, and I looked up at Axel, confused. Was he drunk? I couldn't recall seeing him drink anything, and he seemed completely lucid, unlike me. I felt like I was floating in the middle of nowhere, and the only thing keeping me on the ground was the tight grip.

"What are you doing?" I repeated my question after blinking a couple of times. Axel shook his head sadly.

"You, Roxie, are such a lightweight. I can't believe how tipsy you are after only one drink."

"One?" I countered, snapping my fingers together. "I had two, dammit!" I don't know what it was, but something about the look on Axel's face was so funny, I had to start laughing. When he asked me what was so funny, I sent him a nasty smirk and said, "Your face," before leaning against the door, laughing my ass off.

Huh. Maybe I am a lightweight.

"Anyway, Roxie, I had a question for you-"

"Wait!" I held up my hand, pressing it against Axel's mouth before he could say another word. "I have something for you!" This wasn't exactly how I planned to give my present to Axel, mainly because I had no plan, but it seemed to be a good idea at the time. Slowly, I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.

The small jewelry box that had haunted me in the weeks after Naminé broke my heart. I shoved it at Axel, suddenly embarrassed, and muttered, "Happy birthday," to him. When I rethought the idea of giving Axel a necklace, I immediately realized how stupid it was. What if he didn't like it? Or he didn't wear jewelry? He was a guy, after all. "You don't have to keep it," I added after I'd seen that Axel opened the present. "It was a stupid idea-"

The box was thrown in my face. He threw the box in my face...

What the hell?

I glared up at him, wanting to yell that he was a jerk, but he cut me off.

"Shut up, Roxas."

My real name. He only used my real name when he was being serious.

"I want it."

Without another word, Axel slipped the silver chain around his neck, clasping the lock. The blue gem seemed to shine from beneath the dove's wings, signaling something, but in my state, I couldn't remember what. Something the old guy had told me... but what did he know, he was an old guy who ran a pawn shop.

"A dove," Axel muttered, examining the animal wrapped around the gem. "Just like you, you know."

I wanted to ask him what he meant, but I think the alcohol had gotten to me about then, and I slid down the door, closing my eyes. Axel leaned next to me in an instant, asking if I was okay. I just waved him off, knowing it was pointless for him to worry about me. I was just drun- I mean tipsy, and I didn't do well with drinking.

"I'm tired," I said suddenly, before lifting up my arms. "Carry me?" I heard a low chuckle escape from Axel's throat, and he reached down, heaving me off the ground. Snuggling close, I whispered something to Axel, though I don't remember what I said, he seemed to like it, as the next thing I knew he was pressing his lips to mine. Again.

"You're so adorable, Roxas."


	28. I owe my solitude to other people

**Early today... I know... I caught a cold... on the first day of summer break... fuuuuun~**

**-_- Yeah... fun...**

**SHOOOOOL'S OUT, FOR SUMMER! SCHOOOOOOOOOL'S OUT, FOR EVER! Love that song... and it's so true! I'm free until the end of August :D  
**

**Anyway, someone requested I write replies to their review in my author's note, so I suppose I will XD**

**So, to 813 i love you 813, no, the story is not done yet :P Did you guys think I would have just stopped the story when Axel and Roxas got together? Psh! I'm not like that ;P You guys still have to learn about Axel's obsession with his dad, about Roxas' parents past, things about Riku, and Ellie, and Sora, and not really Kairi... but Namine as well XD So, be prepared to be surprised :P However, the story does end eventually, and I will stop posting :P **

**To the Pirate Mage, I would NEVER leave you guys on a cliffie like that :P Oh wait, I do... hm... ;P And I love the "he's gay!" moment as well XD It cracks me up every time I think about it XD Also, thank you for your wonderful fanart :) It's adorable and perfect! If anyone wants to see it, it's on my favorites on deviant art :) My name is the same on there as it is on here, so I shouldn't be that hard to find.**

**Thanks to Buddy Cakes and P5ng-Me-A'Wy for your reviews :) You guys didn't say much, so I don't really know what else to say XD**

**And finally, to withnospaces... hun, I don't know whether to strangle or hug you. Your review certainly made me feel better after nearly failing the chem final, but really? Really? I honestly don't know what goes through your head sometimes... most of the time, actually. Thanks for putting spoilers in there, by the way, even if you did censor them in the most entertaining of ways. I'm sorry I don't give you enough credit, and that you search for Ellie when you play Kingdom Hearts now, though, I'm not really sorry, so it's kinda pointless for me to say that... hm... Also, your grammar fails most of the time, so I highly doubt you edit the chapters I give you in your head... And what happened with chapter 25 was absolutely hysterical! Chika and I laughed for like, ten minutes after you stormed off XD (For those of you who don't know, which is pretty much everyone, I printed out chapter 25 after I finished it, and I gave it to Miss withnospaces, but I only printed the first page in Times New Roman. The rest was printed in Windings so she couldn't read it. I was getting back at her for some reason... can't remember what though...) Finally, to your signing off thing, love ya too, I'll probably drop out of school now, drugs sound entertaining I'll probably try them some, and why the heck did you write our theatre name there o.O And you are not the best ever. -_- Or maybe you are. I don't know.**

**Yeah... that's my friend for you... finally reviewing after the story is over, even though she has YET to finish it... **

**Alright, a few more things I need to say; I drew the necklace Roxas gives to Axel. It's on my devart if you want to see it. There should be a link on my profile. :) Also, I'm thinking of posting Elephant on devart. If you think I should let me know, AND I have a poll up asking a question about Something about the Rain. Please answer it :) I really need the information.**

**So, that's my wondrous author's note for chapter 28. Have fun reading the chapter, review, and I'll talk to you guys on Monday, when I post the next chapter. :) Thanks for everything, Rocket Ship! :) You're an awesome beta! She also drew a fanart for the story if you guys want to see it :) Also in my favs on devart. **

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: I owe my solitude to other people**

* * *

"Why are you leaving?" I asked, my voice low. Naminé looked as though she were about to cry as she shook her head, obviously not wanting to talk to me. But this conversation had to happen. "Is there a reason you don't want to stay here? Did something happen, what?"

"Roxas..."

"Did I do something?" I wanted to know. If I'd done something to hurt her, then maybe I could fix this. Maybe she wouldn't have to go, and she would tell Dad that she wanted to take back her two weeks notice and stay with us. Maybe...

"This doesn't... it's not important," she told me, glancing down at her feet. "I just... I have... I have to..."

She wasn't going to stay. No matter what I said, she was going to leave. She probably just wanted to get away from Radiant Garden for a while, being older, and she wanted to go to school, but she didn't want to tell anyone.

If that was so, why did I feel so guilty?

* * *

_"Axel?" I asked, gasping. "What the hell are you doing here?" _

_Standing in front of me, grinning like a maniac, was my red-haired boyfriend. Sea-green eyes were narrowed slightly, almost as if he was a cat, and I happened to be his prey. He was wearing somewhat nice clothing; a button up black shirt and jeans, and just visible on his neck was the silver chain of the necklace I'd given him for his birthday. It was the nicest thing I'd ever seen him wear._

_ I, on the other hand, had just woken up, so I was in my pajamas, and I probably looked as though I had been rolled down a hill. It was something close to that... I'd just fallen out of bed, a sure sign that bad things were going to happen. _

_ "I'm here to pick you up," Axel told me, patting me on the head. "First day back at work."_

_ He dressed up for work? Axel? Dressed up? For Work? _

_ Yeah right. He was so planning something._

_ "Um... okay," I said hesitantly, stepping aside to let him in. "But why are you coming to pick me up?"_

_ "Because Mr. Boss-man told me that you refuse to drive still, and he didn't want to wait for you this morning."_

_ I froze. Dad wasn't here? That would explain the noise I heard this morning around five, and the fact that no one bothered to answer the door. So, either Dad was expecting Axel to eagerly agree to come pick me up, or he wanted me to get over my driving issues. _

_ I really wanted to, you know, but every time I grabbed my keys, or sat in the driver's seat of the car, I remembered the instant before that crash, then waking up drenched in blood, the pain, and Axel, lying there lifelessly..._

_ Just thinking about it again made me feel sick to my stomach._

_ I never wanted to drive again._

_ "Alrighty then, Roxas. Now it's your turn to get dressed so I can take you out," Axel teased, steering me towards the stairs. "I'll be waiting down here." All I could do was nod and head up to my room, not really sure what was going on. Either Axel really was just going to work, or he was going to kidnap me. _

_ Honestly, I liked the second idea better. _

_ So I got dressed quickly, making sure I didn't look horrible, but at the same time not like my mother had just dressed me. It's so awkward when you look like that, and then all the guys at your school make fun of you..._

_ When I thought I looked half decent, I scrambled out of my room, wondering what that strange sound reaching my ears was. The farther down I got, the clearer the noise became. It was Mom's piano being played. A nice melody, though one I didn't quite recognize. It seemed familiar, like I'd heard it once before, but only once, but I couldn't quite place where I had. _

_ Walking into the living room, I witnessed a scene I never thought I'd see; Axel, sitting at the grand piano, playing that tune. I watched him, not wanting to interrupt him. He seemed to be blissful, almost as if he hadn't played a piano in a while. I figured he hadn't, as he'd been hospitalized for a while, then he was trapped in his house which didn't have a piano._

_ I watched him for a time, wondering if I could recognize the song he was playing. However, the music stopped before I could. _

_ "Like it?" Axel asked me. I nodded._

_ "Where's it from?"_

_ "Nowhere," he said, smirking. "I wrote it."_

_ "You wrote it?" I walked towards him, not sure if I should believe him or not. Sure, Axel's a genius, and sure, he mentioned a few things about liking music before, but writing music? I didn't think he had the patience to do that. But, he insisted he did._

_ "I've actually played it for you before," he told me, playing the melody of the song quietly. He'd played it for me before... that would explain where I'd heard it, but I hadn't known him for that long. I would have remembered him playing it for me._

_ "When?" I asked._

_ "The first time I met you, and the Christmas party where I got you drunk." That's all he said before playing again, and I was really confused. Not about the Christmas part... I knew that most of my memory from that night was gone, but I clearly remembered the first time I met Axel. _

_ Standing next to me in the lobby, listening to screamo music. The song he was playing __now __was too gentle. _

_ "What do you mean, the first time you met me?" I asked. He'd mentioned something like this before, at the Christmas party actually. Something about a meeting I didn't know about, and then there was what Ellie said about him loving me for a long time. But how long?_

_ Axel stopped playing after I asked him that question, and he sighed. "Let's see, the first time I met you... huh."_

_ "What?"_

_ "It was at a Christmas party your parents held about sixteen years ago."_

_ Sixteen years? He met me when I was three? _

_ I tried to question him about it, but he shut me up with a kiss. _

_ "It's not important, Roxie. Let's just get out of here before your dad starts asking why we're late." He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room. The two of us were unaware of the eyes watching us. _

* * *

"Look, Naminé, just tell me. What happened to you?" I asked her, grabbing her arm before she could leave. "First you break up with me, then you stop talking to everyone, and now you're leaving Radiant Garden? What's going on?"

"Roxas, please just let it be," Naminé begged. "It's not important-"

"I think it's very important. You're just randomly packing up and leaving. No warning other than your two week notice to my father, but only he knew about that. Not even Kairi and Ellie guessed this was going to happen. How do you think they feel? And Axel? He's pretty upset about this."

Naminé's eyes traveled up to mine. Perfectly blue, with tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "You've never called him Axel before."

* * *

_Naminé wasn't at the front desk when Axel and I walked in the building, which was weird. She always sat there, typing away, making sure calls got directed to the right place, and things like that. Boring work, you know?_

S_he wasn't there, but Kairi was, searching around the desk frantically. Axel and I exchanged glances before he called out to her._

_ "Hey Kairi. What's up?"_

_ The auburn haired girl jumped, looking back at us fearfully._

_ Fearfully..._

_ Why would she be so afraid? Was something happening? Was another person hurt? Maybe it was Riku or Sora this time, which would explain her reaction, but it could also be something else. _

_ What ever it was, I wanted to find out. Right then and there._

_ "You okay?" I asked her, taking a step forward. This seemed to be the wrong thing to ask, as she suddenly burst into tears. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, "Did I say something? What's going on?"_

_ "Naminé's leaving!"_

* * *

I let go of Naminé's wrist and took a step back, surprised by the sudden onset of tears. There was something about the way she was looking at me that hinted at something, like she was urging me to ask her the one question I couldn't figure out.

"Why... why would that make you so sad?" I asked, not sure why me calling Axel by his name was such a shocking thing. Surely she knew that the two of us were "getting along," so to speak, and me calling him by his name wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe...

"Roxas," Naminé muttered, her hand coming up to brush a few strands of hair out of my face. It was such a simple, kind gesture, but it reminded me of our relationship; when the two of us were both happy at the same time. Instinctively, I grabbed the hand, not really sure what I should do after that. "Roxas, I know you don't like things to be left unsaid, but this time, I think you should just let it go."

"No!" I exclaimed. "I can't let this go! You're important to me, I can't just sit back and let you leave!"

"Yes, you can." She pulled away. "You can, and you will. Please, Roxas."

* * *

_After Kairi's outburst, Axel and I exchanged glances. He looked petrified, guilty, almost, like he knew this was going to happen someday, just not right then. At first, I didn't believe what Kairi was saying. She probably just meant that Naminé was leaving the office for the day, but I knew that assumption was so stupid a two year old could tell me that it wasn't true. _

_ "What do you mean," Axel asked slowly, but Kairi just shook her head, unable to talk. "She's quitting her job?" A nod. "But she's staying in Radiant Garden, right?" This time, Kairi didn't move, but her eyes closed, and she let out a small sob. _

_ I knew then I had to talk to Naminé. We'd been avoiding each other since Valentine's day, and even more so since Axel's birthday, but it was time to put that to an end. _

_ "When does she leave?" I asked, glancing over at Axel to let him know that I was going to find her. He nodded, which went unnoticed by the frantic Kairi. She sobbed and told me that today was Naminé's last day. _

_ I felt my stomach drop. Two weeks had gone by since Axel's birthday, and two weeks since she would have turned in her notice to quit. Exactly two weeks. She must have seen something._

* * *

"I said no. Tell me..." I trailed off, looking down at my feet. She had to have seen something. Then, I decided to ask the one question I'd been running from for four months. "Why did you break up with me." I felt Naminé flinch, but she sighed.

"Roxas, look at me," she commanded, and I followed her order, not sure what she wanted. When my eyes met hers, she closed the distance between the two of us in an instant, kissing me intently. I followed her lead, pushing back against her lips, not sure why I was doing it.

When she pulled away, there were more tears in her eyes, and she leaned her head against my chest. "I love you, Roxas. I didn't want to break up with you."

"Then you shouldn't have!" I exclaimed. "I love you, Nami. I really do-"

"But you love him more."

* * *

_"Where is she?"_

_ Kairi sniffled. "She should be in the parking garage by now, getting in her car. She just cleaned out her desk..." It was then I noticed how empty the front desk seemed. No papers, no photos, nothing that would suggest Naminé had ever been there was present. She really was leaving._

_ "I have to go," I muttered, turning towards the door. "I'll see the two of you later." I headed quickly out towards the parking garage. I knew exactly where Naminé's car was, so it was easy to track her down. She was walking away from me, her back facing me. Even from the back, I could tell she was depressed._

_ "Naminé!"_

_ At the sound of my voice, she turned around, and stopped, her eyes wide. I finally managed to catch up to her, and despite my heavy breathing, I managed to ask in a low voice, "Why are you leaving?"_

* * *

I was speechless.

Naminé wasn't.

"I know, Roxas, that you and Axel have something special. You're different around him, we can all see that," she said, looking away from me. If what she said was right, then there really wasn't a reason for me to keep my seeing Axel as secret. But...

"At first," Naminé continued, "I could deal with it, not knowing really how you felt about Axel, or what has happened between the two of you, and I was okay with that. But on his birthday, at his party, you gave him that necklace, the one you original bought for me... I saw you give it to him, and he looked so happy, as did you... I just can't stand being around that!" She screamed the last part, clenching her fists against my shirt. "I can't be around the two of you knowing that I lost you to _him_."

"Naminé," I started to say, but she slapped her hands over my mouth, shutting me up.

"I love you, Roxas. I really love you, and because of that I can't stay here. I'm sorry."

She moved away from me, leaving me there, half dead. I wanted to say something to her, but it was too late. I wanted to apologize, but she was gone. She drove off, away from me, from this work, and from this life of hers, without even letting me say goodbye.

That was the last time I ever saw her.


	29. A smirk is still a smile

**Tada! Strange day to be posting a new chapter of this story, but it's also a strange day to have a birthday... that's right, I'm no longer 17ish... ish... ish... I'm officially 17! WOOHOO! So, to celebrate this wondrous occasion, I'm going to post a chapter for you guys :) You're all very lucky, though. See, Friday evening, after a fun day of doing nothing but watching Sola (awesome anime) all day, my computer crashed. It wouldn't let me turn on the computer, or access my files, or anything. To make matters worse, my computer freak of a father wasn't home, so I was stuck without any of my files for two days. Which means I didn't have anything of this story. I thought I lost it all.**

**Buuuut, thanks to my wonderful luck (which isn't exactly so wonderful) all of my files were safe on the hard drive. I didn't get a virus, my computer just had a corrupt operating system. So, it's all good now :D I mean, sure, my laptop won't turn on still, and I'm pretty much going into writing withdrawal as my father wants me to affect my files as little as possible for fear that I'll ruin them, but hey, at least I didn't lose the 200ish pages of this story you guys HAVEN'T read yet... actually, I think it's only around 150 pages now... man, time flies... **

**Anyway, to my reviewers: I'd like to thank kaoru-chibimaster, P5hng-Me-A'Wy (why does your name have to be so complicated! DX Also, it doesn't matter that you're bad at reviewing. Anything you say is appreciated :D), and chocomiiillk (who reviewed 7 times... wonderful :D) for their reviews.**

**Also to SignatureSinful, I'm sorry again for not replying to your review for chapter 27... I felt so bad after I read your last review... forgive me? :D Thanks for the review again, though :)**

**Now then, to people who want their reviews talked about... uh... 813 i love you813! You're welcome for the reply :) I'm a people pleaser, so I try and make everyone happy. And of course I had to mention chapter 3! That was the best chapter ever! :D Everyone who reads it thinks it's funny XD Yeah... it takes Roxas a long while to get over that fear... I don't think he does for the entirety of the story... I don't really remember... And yes, Axel can play the piano. He's perfect, why wouldn't he be able to? XD You get to learn about Axel and Roxas' past a little more in Axel's next chapter. ;P And yes, Roxas is an idiot. I hated writing that chapter, but it had to be done... *sigh* Thanks for the review!**

**To SutaaFox: Yay! You're back! :D I hope your exams went well :) I missed reading your reviews! I won't really reply to them right now because there are so many, but let me know if you want a message reply to them :)**

**Phew! I think that's all of them... I think... I hope... maybe?**

**So anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, please review, answer my poll, and I'll see you guys on Saturday! :D I may or may not go back to one chapter a week, as it is stressful for both me and my beta to prepare 2 a week, plus someone asked me to do so... Have an opinion about it? Let me know :)**

**Ja ne~**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: A smirk is still a smile**

* * *

Axel's body temperature is higher than normal. I mean, a lot higher. I think he said his average body temp is around 101º. He attributes it to the fact that he's a red head, and a pyro, but I think it's just because he's a complete and total freak.

Now, don't get me wrong, the fact that he's that warm in the winter is really nice. I certainly didn't get cold at all during that night in Twilight Town, but in the summer, or when it's warm out, it's just a nuisance. Especially now, one month after Naminé left the company, at the end of May, when Axel decided I was still upset about her disappearing, and dragged me to his apartment to spend the night.

No, Sora was not there. He'd taken some time off to go home and visit his mom who had broken her leg, or something like that, so he was in Destiny Island. Leaving me, alone, with Axel, in his apartment...

Note how I found out his body temperature is annoying in the summer.

"Wow, Roxie, you are _not_ a morning person, are you?"

I heard Axel's voice right before he placed a hand on my head. The hand ruffled my hair, which irritated the hell out of me, and I swatted it away, grumbling. Grabbing Axel's covers, I pulled them over my head, grumbling at him to go away. All he did was laugh at me.

Saying I wasn't a morning person was an understatement if I've ever heard one. I don't know how Axel was able to rise with the sun, then stay up till all hours of the night. How did he do that? When did he sleep? It really pissed me off...

"Come on, Roxie. I know it's Sunday, and neither of us have to work today, but that doesn't mean you can be all lazy," Axel told me. I felt pressure on the bed next to me as Axel sat there, and he grabbed the top of the blanket, pulling it off me slowly. "Roxie..."

"Go away!"

My irritation just seemed to amuse Axel, and he yanked the blanket off my head, sending a bright light into my eyes. I groaned, and struggled to get it back over my head. It would be so nice to just disappear into the darkness again, not have to worry about all the shit going on in my life right now, like Naminé leaving and no longer talking to me, not knowing if I should tell my parents about me and Axel, not knowing if the two of them were okay, as they'd started arguing again (the reason I was completely okay with Axel kidnapping me), and wondering if I did the right thing by working with my dad's company.

Darkness would be wonderful.

"Now now, Roxie," Axel whispered, capturing one of my flailing hands to keep me from actually obtaining the blanket, "you're going to have to get up sometime, so why not now?"

"Because it's early, I'm tired, and it's too bright. Go away."

"Don't wanna," he said. Then there was heat next to my neck, and I felt Axel's lips press against my skin, right below my ear.

That woke me up.

I sat up quickly, trying to ignore the prickly feeling trailing across my skin, and grabbed a pillow, throwing it Axel. "Go away!" He was laughing at me, backing away. My vision began to clear, getting used to the bright light streaming in through the window. I saw Axel standing a few feet away from me, wearing a black t-shirt, and a pair of baggy jeans. You'd think that it was just a regular outfit, one that he just randomly threw on, but damn did he look sexy.

I think I started to blush.

"Why did you have to wake me up?" I muttered, rubbing the place where he'd kissed. It still tingled, like electric shocks were being sent through my body. It was really annoying. "It's really early, and I didn't exactly get to go to be early last night." I sent an accusing glare at him, though I was really only mad because he'd woken me up, not that he had kept me up late.

"Well," Axel said, rubbing his head with a laugh, "it's not like you _complained_..."

I just had to throw another pillow at him.

"Whoa, Roxie, violent today are we? I didn't think you had any fighting spirit in you," he teased. Before I could respond, however, my phone suddenly rang.

Both of us froze, and stared at the buzzing cell. I didn't know who in the world was calling me, seeing as I didn't work today, my dad could care less about where I was, and Mom knew I most likely was going to avoid the house. She'd screamed at me the night before, and I'd ran out, frustrated and pissed. Axel didn't know that, however, which is why he assumed that I was just pouting about Naminé when he found me on the street quite a ways from my house.

So it wasn't her (unless she was calling to apologize, which would be stupid because she knows better than anyone that I'm not a morning person), then who could be calling me?

After the fifth ring, I reached over and grabbed the phone, checking the name. Surprisingly, it was Olette.

I answered it, gesturing to Axel to get out of the room.

"Hello?"

"_Roxas! Oh my god, I don't think I've spoken to you since your birthday! How are you?_"

What could I tell her? That I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to figure out whether or not I liked Axel? Or how about this one; I'd been shitty because my life was falling apart at the seams, I've been trying to keep my relationship with my business partner a secret, and the girl I loved now won't talk to me!

Yeah...

"_Roxas?_"

"I'm fine," I finally answered, silently telling Axel who was staring at me to get out of the room. "How have you been?" Axel would not leave the room. He just crossed his arms and gave me a confused look, which really irritated me, because... well, it just irritated me.

"_Well, my first year of college was difficult, but a lot of fun._"

"That's good."

"_Yep! Guess what?_"

"What?" Axel was still staring at me, which was unnerving, so I slid out of bed, and headed over to him, placing my hand on his chest. He laughed when he realized that I was trying to push him out of the room, and he leaned down, whispering in my ear;

"My room, Roxie. I can stay here if I want."

Right as he said this, Olette exclaimed, "_I finally have the money and time to come visit!_"

I froze, "What?" My hand left Axel's chest, backing away from him.

"_I'm coming home! I've talked to Pence and Hayner as well, and they're also going to be able to come back!_"

"When?"

"_Hm... well, I'm going to come back tomorrow, Pence said in about a week, but Hayner should be in Radiant Garden in about three hours. I think he was going to surprise you by showing up at your house. So act surprised, okay?_"

"Um... okay?"

"_Anyway, I have to go. My roommate is bring over a bunch of friends for a party so it's going to get loud. See you soon!_" The other side of the line went dead before I could even say goodbye. You know, women have a tendency to do that. Hang up or leave before you can say bye... I guess my dad's like a girl then.

"So, who was that?" Axel asked, "And why do you look like your world just came to an end?"

"Probably because my world did just come to an end." I looked over at Axel, who was walking towards me. "I have to get home... Hayner's going to be there in a few hours."

* * *

"Wow, you look like you've been to hell and back," Hayner told me when I walked into my house and saw him sitting on the living room couch with my mother. Olette's timing must have been off because it'd only been two hours since she'd called.

Of course, it shouldn't have taken me two hours to get home, but Axel's a jerk and refused to let me go until I calmed down. Well, "calm down" was just what he said, but I don't think making out with me exactly calmed me down. More, irritated me and made me late.

Jerk.

"Yeah," I told him, voice quiet, "something along those lines." Awkward silences didn't happen very often between me and Hayner, but this time... I don't even know why! I mean, yeah, I was hiding a shit ton of stuff from him, but he didn't know that. Note the fact that it's being hidden from him. The only way things would be this weird would be if he was hiding something from me as well. Or he was embarrassed for some weird reason.

I wasn't the only one who noticed the strange air in the room, as Mom stood up and exclaimed, "Alright, I think I'm going to leave and let you two boys catch up, alright?" She just wanted to get out of the room. She was so lucky she could. As she passed by me, she stopped and whispered, "We need to talk about last night. Okay?"

I groaned, not wanting to talk about the screaming match we'd gotten into the night before, and then me running off and not returning until the next day... that would be such a fun conversation.

"So, it's been a while," Hayner said suddenly, looking down at his feet. I nodded. "Um... so, how's... uh... how've you been?"

Okay, there was something wrong with Hayner. He never acted like this. I wondered if he was high, but he didn't seem loopy. Actually, he looked better than I'd seen him in years. Ever since the beginning of high school, actually.

"Well," I replied, "a lot of stuff has changed over the past year. You?" What an understatement, but I didn't really care about my life. I knew what was going on (or, most of what was going on) in my life, but I didn't know anything about Hayner anymore. He dressed differently, carried himself differently, and didn't have the original air of confidence that he'd left Radiant Garden with.

Something was going on, and I knew that. Of course, he knew that I knew, because Hayner isn't exactly stupid, so...

"Well... I... I kinda...," he sighed as I sat down in the chair across from him. "I doubt you heard about this, but there was a guy, in the town I live in, who was killed."

Drugs? Yeah, I could see Hayner doing that, but murder?

"Before you get the wrong idea, I didn't kill him." Oh... well... "He was just a really good friend of mine, and, well, it's my fault he died."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not important, but I wanted to tell you, because after he died something in me changed... It's like my eyes were opened up to the world around me, and I stopped doing drugs, and drinking... I started actually going to class and doing all my work."

Wow, it was like Hayner had finally taken into account everything I said and shaped up. Too bad it took his friend dying to slap him in the face.

Ugh, I sound horrible. Where's my sympathy for him? He just told me that a friend of his was killed because of him. Actually, the fact that he was telling me this right now, so easily, right when I first saw him after so many months, was kind of weird. I thought he was making it up at first, but only something as outrageous as a friend dying would freak Hayner out so much that he would start studying.

Still, I didn't know what to say.

"Just figured I would tell you so you will stop looking down on me."

Wait, what?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, "I've never looked down on you. If anything, I respected you for being able to be yourself." But Hayner just shook his head.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter." He grinned at me, but the smile seemed a bit fake. I decided to ignore it. "So, I think it's time you tell me how work's going. That emo kid... uh..."

"Riku?"

"Yeah. Is he still all weird and origami like?"

I had to bite my lip to keep from cracking up. Riku had become slightly obsessed with origami since that week he was sick. Just slightly. If you gave him a blank piece of paper, he would make about five different animals or objects. It pissed Ellie off so much that she and Riku got in an argument about it one time at work.

I remember walking in on them as Ellie said, "Stop obsessing over stupid pieces of paper, or I'm not coming over anymore!"

Now, Riku makes the little figurines in secret.

I told this story to Hayner when he asked me what I thought was funny. His reaction was exactly like his old self. He cracked up and the two of us laughed for a couple of minutes.

"Wait, so Ellie's dating Riku?"

"Yeah, for about five years now."

"That's crazy."

"Tell me about it."

Hayner snickered. "Man, I missed you, Roxas. We really need to keep in better contact once I go back to school."

"Yeah, we do."

* * *

"Roxas..."

"Look, Mom, I don't care anymore about what you said last night. I was just tired and irritated." It was later that day. Hayner had just gone home, I'd been attacked by a phone call from Pence, then one from Axel, and now I was being cornered in the kitchen by my mother... Yeah...

Mom didn't say anything. She just watched me with sad eyes. I couldn't figure out why she looked that way, or why she even flipped out on me the night before. I'd done nothing wrong. All I did was ask her a question about her parents, thanks to a conversation I'd had with Axel about family, and she snapped.

"Well, I'm going to bed now. Olette isn't exactly easy to deal with." I headed out of the kitchen, carrying some random midnight snack with me. Well, not really midnight... you know what I mean.

"Wait, Roxas-"

"I said I don't care. Please just drop it."

I barely heard her say okay before I disappeared to the upper level of the house, hoping that nothing bad would happen while Hayner was here.

* * *

Olette also looked different when I met her at the airport the next day. She'd cut her hair, started wearing makeup, and had an air of happiness around her.

Well, until she saw Hayner. Then both of them pretty much died. Figuratively.

Huh... how I was feeling then, it must have been a similar reaction to the one Ellie had about me being an idiot. About Axel being gay... I felt sorry for her, because these two are so annoying! I wished that they would just shut up, kiss, and realize that they've been in love with each other for so many years.

But no. Instead, for the entire week that the two of them were there without Pence, it was extremely awkward. Needless to say, I was so happy when he showed up at my house a week after Olette arrived, carrying a random bag, and a smile on his... uh... thin face. Apparently his grandparents had this weird diet and it caused him to lose a lot of weight.

I wasn't the only one who'd changed over the past year.

That was really nice to know.

At first, I was really happy about this whole thing, seeing all my friends from high school again, but that happiness vanished quickly. For three reasons.

One: All three of them were leaving in a week, so I only had that long to spend with them.

Two: I decided that it was time to get Olette and Hayner together, because they were really pissing me off.

And three: I couldn't spend any time with Axel while they were here, because otherwise they would find out, and my life would become worse than hell. Worse than that, actually, if that was possible.

I think the last one was the worst part. Which is kinda sad, because three months ago I hated being around the guy, and now, not being able to see him for a week seemed torturous to me. Maybe it would be best to just tell them all. Then I could see him, and there would be no problems.

I kept telling myself that, but I was too scared to do so...

Anyway, I was sitting with my three best friends, at a random ice cream shop, talking about the most random things, and of course, Olette had to ask me the one question I'd been dreading since they came back.

"So, how are things with you and that guy you were complaining about?"

I nearly choked on my ice cream. She was asking me about Axel. The guy I was complaining about before she left...

"Roxas? You alright?" Pence asked me as I started coughing, trying to clear my air way.

"Yeah," I gasped, "I'm fine. Just surprised."

I saw Hayner roll his eyes from next to me. "Roxie here has a weird relationship with Axel." He smirked at me, knowing that using my nickname would piss me off beyond all beliefs. "The two of them don't really get along."

"Really?" Olette leaned across the table, obviously curious. "I figured after a while the two of you would maybe get a long a little bit. You know, become friends."

Oh, we've become more than friends. Way more than friends. But I couldn't tell her that... still, at the same time, I felt guilty for letting them believe Axel and I were enemies or didn't get along. "We actually get along now," I muttered quietly.

I could feel three pairs of eyes on me, and I became embarrassed. Olette and Pence probably had no idea why it was so awkward for me, but Hayner did. Hayner had been there the three months I complained about Axel, so he knew that there was something more going on. Luckily, he didn't comment on it at all, and just left the subject alone for the rest of the day.

As did Pence and Olette.

Thank God.

* * *

"Roxie, please tell me your friends are going home soon," Axel whispered in my ear. I was not in a situation I liked; being pinned to the wall of my office, by my boyfriend, unable to escape, while Hayner and Pence were in the same building. I'd left them in the lobby with Kairi while I came up to my office to get something.

Little did I know, Axel was in there, waiting for me so he could attack.

"They're leaving in two days," I muttered, trying to get away. "Now please get off me. They could come up any second now to search for me." It had already been five days since Pence had arrived, and, well, time had gone by really quickly, but I still hadn't completely my mission.

"Well then, I guess I'd better hurry then."

Shit.

Axel was extremely difficult to deal with, especially when he had his mind set on something. Currently, his mind was set on me.

I wasn't going to let him get his way today, though, because Pence and I had a plan to get Olette and Hayner to _finally_ start dating. It was extremely important that the two of us did this, because otherwise we'd be stuck with the two of them never admitting to each other their feelings, and life would become worse than hell for all four of us.

Unfortunately, Axel was standing in my way, both literally and figuratively.

"Axel, let me go. I have something I need to do-" he kissed my neck before I could finish my sentence, and I had to shove him away. "Dude! Seriously!"

Axel's pouting face was adorable. Really, really adorable.

It made me wish Olette, Pence, and Hayner were still away at college.

"It's just two more days." It was obvious that Axel was _not _happy about what was going on right now, and he leaned down to kiss me.

"Fine," he whispered against my mouth. "Two more days. I'll restrain myself for that long, and only that long. Got it?"

"Completely memorized," I taunted, taking Axel's favorite catch phrase and shoving it in his face. It was awesome to see his eyes narrow at my retort, but he didn't do anything more to me, instead just letting me go. "What? No comeback?"

"Two days, Roxie. Two days."

It was obviously a threat, and I knew that Axel was going to do something to me as soon as the two days were up. Either I was screwed, or I was going to get screwed.

Stupid Axel, making me worried like this.

Sighing, I made my way out of the office, passing by a very irritated Axel on the way. He smirked at me, but said nothing, which was kind of worrying. Even if he wasn't allowed to be intimate, there was no way he didn't have some snappy remark waiting on the tip of his tongue. I bet he just wanted to make me sweat.

Well, it was working.

"Dude, Roxie, I didn't think you were ever gonna come back!" Hayner was sitting on Naminé's old desk, and he seemed to originally have been talking to Kairi about something. She was smiling, something I hadn't seen since Naminé left, and was standing next to Pence who looked like he won the jack pot.

Poor guy... never had much luck with girls... the fact that Kairi was talking to him was probably like a dream come true. I couldn't wait to tell him she was taken.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got... held up." Honestly, that was the best way to describe what had happened. Well, the best way without letting on what really happened. "Anyway, I got what I needed, so let's go. Olette's waiting for us, right?"

"Olette?" Kairi smiled at me, something she hadn't done since before Valentine's day. "You have a friend I haven't met yet?"

I laughed nervously, not really wanting to talk to Kairi. Any second and she could snap at me, acting like she had been before. I didn't really want to have to deal with that. So, I just told her that Olette was a good friend of mine from school, and that she was waiting for us at her house so we could go to the movies.

Well, in actuality, only Hayner and Olette were going to the movies. Pence and I were going to ditch them, play a game of bowling or something, then go back and see how their relationship has changed. If nothing happened, then I had a wonderful plan two.

Just tell the idiots that they liked each other and should go out.

Yeah, that would work.

"Hey, Roxas," Pence asked me suddenly, drawing my attention back to reality. I blinked and looked over at him, realizing that we were in the parking garage, heading towards Hayner's car. The one we'd been driving around in all week.

"What?"

"I noticed that you haven't driven at all since we've been here. Normally you don't like being in another person's car... what's up with that?"

Oh right... I completely forgot to tell them that I'd gotten in a car crash. All of my visible cuts and what not have healed, plus my arm was no longer in a cast, so there wasn't any evidence that I'd been hurt... Axel too, had very few wounds left, though he had quite a few scars on his chest, arms, and legs, and a large scratch on the back of his head, but other than that...

"I was wondering that too," Hayner said, glancing at me. "I was also wondering why you have so many bruises on your left arm." Right, my left arm was still all bruised up... forgot about that visible evidence... I forgot about it because I had gotten used to the cast, and I wear long sleeves.

"You do?" Pence grabbed my left arm, and I winced as he pulled up the sleeve. "Whoa!"

Yanking my arm back, I rolled my eyes. "A few months back, I was driving back into town after... uh... doing something for work, and a guy crashed into my car. I had a concussion and fractured my left arm, but it's not that big of a deal."

Both teens stopped walking and stared at me like I was nuts. It made me feel kind of violated.

"Whatever you do," Pence said after a moment of silence, "don't tell Olette. She'll freak."

"Yeah. Then you'd never drive again," Hayner added.

"Or get in a car."

"Or ride a bus."

"Or leave your house."

"Or-"

"Oh shut up you two!" I snapped before stalking over to Hayner's car. "We have some place to be." I yanked the car door open, got in, the slammed it shut as they laughed their asses off. I was somewhat tempted to hot-wire the car and get the hell out of there, but that would mean I would be the one driving.

Damn.

Finally, the two idiots stopped laughing and climbed into the car as well, still smirking at my previous outburst. The two of them, I swear.

* * *

"Are you sure this was a good idea?"

Four times. Four times he asked me this, and four times I've answered him with a "Yes God dammit, now shut up before I shut you up." We were staked out beside the movie theater, waiting for Hayner and Olette to come out of the movie we'd forced them to go see. I knew they couldn't get out of it, because Pence and I had hijacked Hayner's car keys and had driven off. So, the two of them were stuck there unless they wanted to catch a bus.

Hayner hated buses.

Finally, I spotted Olette running out of the building. Alone. And she looked upset.

_Oh shit, what have I done?_

"Roxas?" Pence was obviously thinking the same thing I was, but we stayed in our hidden spot, waiting for Hayner to show up as well.

We didn't have to wait very long.

"Wait here Pence, I'm going to be right back." Without waiting for my friend to yell at me, I ran towards Hayner, not caring how the guy would react to seeing me. I was probably going to get murdered for pulling off this stunt, but I didn't care. "Hayner!" He looked up at me. "What the hell just happened."

Hayner shrugged. "We were talking about the movie, having fun, when suddenly she asked me how I felt about her, and I lied. I said she was just a friend to me. Then she ran off." He looked down at his feet, and I felt the sudden urge to punch him.

So I did.

"Dude? What the hell?" He asked, rubbing the cheek my fist had just attacked. He gave me a nasty death glare, but I ignored it and screamed;

"Why would you lie to her about that?" I was furious at him. I gave him the perfect chance to talk to Olette, ask her out, because I know he wanted to, and he went and stomped on my generous act like it was absolutely nothing. "You should have told her the truth, that you like her, and that you've been wanting to date her for a really long time but you've been too _chicken_ to ask her out!"  
"I have not been afraid to do it!"

"Oh really, then why haven't you?"

"Uh, probably because she likes you!"

I froze. Hayner was an idiot. How the hell could he think that Olette liked me? She treated me like I was a little brother, or a son or something, not like a boyfriend. Even if she hadn't talked to me about her crush on my best friend, I would have laughed at the notion of her liking me. It was just impossible. Maybe, _maybe _in middle school, but not now.

"What the hell makes you say that?" I was genuinely curious about how an idiot's brain worked.

"Well, you're the one who stopped me from being mean to her, and the first person to talk to her after she came to Radiant Garden, plus she acts different around you-"

"You're a fucking idiot."

"Excuse me?" By now, there was no one really around us, everyone either in the theater, or in their cars, leaving.

I shook my head and sighed. "I said, you're a fucking idiot."

"Don't you dare-"

"She's in love with you, Hayner." He froze before his hand came into contact with my face. "Just think about it."

"You... you're..."

"The person Olette would come to, to talk about her personal problems. And let me tell you, most of them revolved around you." Finally, Hayner was going to stop being an idiot. He didn't say anything else after I told him that, instead just looking in the direction he'd seen Olette run off in. When I'd gotten tired of him standing there with a stupid expression, I rolled my eyes. "Go. Find her. Make up. Kiss her."

He didn't waste another second.

When he was out of sight, I sighed, and closed my eyes. Only the sound of Pence calling out to me was a sound I wanted to hear. Everything else was just annoying. I wanted to sleep.

"That was nice of you to do, Roxas," Pence told me. I rolled my eyes and told him to shut up, flushing. He laughed, then added, "Hey Roxas, I have a question for you."

"Hm?"

"What's your real relationship with that Axel guy?"

"What?"

This was not happening. Pence could not be that observant. Sure, he was smart, but if he was really that observant, than Olette would be as well, which meant she would know, which meant Hayner would probably know, which meant I was completely and totally screwed. Though, when I thought about it a bit more, if they knew and didn't care, then it was fine.

"When Hayner said his name at the ice cream store, you blushed. I've never seen you react that way to a name before."

"So? Axel's done quite a few weird things to me. I was just thinking about-"

"You also just called him by his name."

"Again, so?"

Pence shook his head sadly. "Roxas, you don't get it. Those kinds of things aren't like you. You're never embarrassed, and you don't remember names of the people you really don't get along with."

"I told you, he and I are friends now-"

"I think you mean more than friends."

I gave up. There was no more hiding from Pence what was going on between me and Axel, because he already knew, and the more I denied it, the more he became convinced.

Defeated, I sighed. "Technically we're "dating," but we haven't told anyone yet." Pence tried to speak, but I shut him up, shaking my head. "I don't want people to know, so you can't tell anyone. Got it?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Pence." We stood in silence for a while, until we saw Hayner and Olette coming back towards us, holding hands. I smiled. "What actually made you realize that there was something more going on?" He took his sweet time before answering this, and I was starting to get antsy. "Pence?"

Finally he laughed. "When you came down from your office today, your clothes were really messy, and you were blushing, so I put two and two together." That was it? There was no way. Hayner would have noticed those things as well, and Kairi, but neither of them said anything so- "Plus, you have a hickey on your neck."

I blushed, my hand coming up to the place Axel had kissed before leaving the office.

_Oh shit, Axel!_

* * *

"Axel?" I stepped into his office, wondering where the hell he could be. It had been two days, so my three friends were all gone, leaving me to deal with the wonderful fate of Axel's wrath. However, he was nowhere to be found. "Hello? Axel, where the hell are you hidi- Ah!"

I got tackled to the floor by something I thought was a cat. However, cat's don't have red hair, sea-green eyes with black, upside-down teardrop tattoos under them.

"Hello there, Roxas," Axel hissed, a nasty smirk on his face. "It's been two days."

I blushed. "Yeah, I know."

"Well then, can I finish what I started?"

I was tempted to tell him no, and that he needed to get the hell off me, but honestly, the fight wasn't worth it.

"Do what you want."


	30. Essays are like skirts

**Short chapter this week... only about five pages, and no, you guys aren't getting two :P Anyway, reviews: **

**P5hng-Me-A'Wy: Don't really know how to reply to this review, other than the last line. I figured it was from that song :P Great song. I love it so much! :D**

**Pirate Mage: I'm one of those girls who gets over things quickly as well (unless they've done something horrible to me) but Namine isn't really like that so... XD Hm... Ven and Roxas meeting... hm... *SPOILER!* ;P **

**To BreakBeauty: I'm very glad you think I'm a brilliant writer :) I tried to make this story fun, yet dramatic, and I was hoping I succeeded :) My next project isn't like this at all, though XD**

**Chocomiiillk: Thanks for all the reviews again :) I do try and mention all my reviewers unless I'm busy, tired, or being an idiot DX And thanks for the basket of cookies! What kind are they?**

**SutaaFox (of course), thanks for the reviews again :) I've never heard of Sliding Doors, but it sounds interesting.**

**And finally, to animeXIII: Thanks ;)**

**So, done with reviewers. It's short this time because I suddenly got inspiration to write again, after a week of not being able to, so I'm trying to get this done quickly. Plus, I have a white mop of a dog on my lap (my dogs a maltese named Nimbus, and he likes sitting on my lap while I'm on the computer) and... wait... never mind, he's gone... Silly puppy. **

**Anyway, I have a contest for this chapter. See, when I wrote this chapter, I was supposed to be studying for my vocab quiz, so I decided to do both, by incorporating words from my list in this chapter. My contest challenge thing is: the first person to find and define at least 5 of the words correctly will receive a special oneshot dedicated to them. It can either be a request, or I can come up with it myself :) So either send me a PM, or leave it in a review, and I'll let you guys know who wins next week! :D (There are 20 total from my list, and a couple from another weeks list, so have fun!)**

**That's all for now! So, enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you guys next week! (Oh, and guess who's given up on trying to only write my original story this summer -_-)  
**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full chapter title: Essays are like skirts; long enough to cover the subject, short enough to make it interesting**

* * *

"This is your fault."

"No it's not."

"Yeah, it is."

"How could you say that?"

"Look where we are!"

"In the middle of the most deserted highway between Radiant Garden and Hallow Bastion with no gas and no cell service."

"Exactly!"

"I still don't see how it's my fault."

I glared at him. No, it was worse than a glare. It was a blazing stare of pure hatred and annoyance. He was the one who wanted to go on a random drive, and the one who didn't bother filling up his gas tank before he dragged me twenty miles outside of Radiant Garden. Now, the two of us were stuck, alone, in the middle of nowhere, with no way to contact the outside world.

"Axel, you're the one who wanted to go out for some weird ass random drive, so yeah, it's your fault," I hissed, unbuckling my seat belt. An arm stopped me from actually getting out of the car, though, which just plain old irritated me. "Let me go!"

"Hm, I don't really want to. If I let you go, you'll just leave me." Axel's voice was whiny and annoying. This was normal, of course, but this time it was different, almost like he was pleading with me or something.

This intrigued me. Sure, he liked company, and my company was something he really liked (or, so he says), but he wasn't _afraid_ of being alone. I think. So the fact that he was acting like a baby, not letting me leave the car, with a beseeching look on his face made it so I didn't want to leave the car. I hated that about him. His ability to make me do something that I wouldn't even consider for someone else.

"I'm not going to leave you," I muttered, trying to yank my arm away. "I just want some fresh air. Away from you. Because you're pissing me off."

"Aw, don't talk like that, Roxie. How could I _ever_ piss you off?" Axel asked.

Honestly, I didn't know how to answer him without repeating myself. For the seventh time. Really, Axel was either faking being a genius, or he got hit in the head after he graduated from high school. Or, maybe, the car accident had done more damage than the doctors originally said. I wonder what his I.Q. would be now...

"If you love me, you won't leave."

I considered this for a second, wondering how I should react. After a moment, the answer was pretty damn obvious.

"See ya," I told him, finally getting away and slipping out of the car. He didn't like my reaction, but I could care less. Being around him was just pissing me off.

Getting outside of the car certainly took my mind off our situation, though if only for a few minutes. Harsh winds nearly blew me off my feet, not having any trees or buildings to stop it. It kind of made me wish I'd stayed in the car, but I couldn't go back in now. Axel would just make fun of me for it. Instead, I scrambled around to the front of the car and climbed onto the hood, wanting to sit down.

I was surrounded by... well, nothing. Nothing at all. Farmland, maybe, but it looked uncultivated, and kinda boring. Not that cultivated farmland _isn't_ boring, but this was worse than that. No food, nothing. Actually probably just a random field that just loved to taunt me.

Stupid Axel.

"How the hell can you stand this wind?"

Axel's voice surprised me. I hadn't heard him come out of the car, much less slip onto the hood next to me. It was like he was a shadow... well, a pale, red-headed shadow. Who liked human contact.

"Hm," I mused, trying not to laugh at his stupid question, "Well, for one thing, I'm not thinner than a toothpick." This earned me a smack in the shoulder. Axel didn't like me teasing him about how skinny he was. He said it made him feel inferior somehow.

It's more like he just has issues.

Major, issues.

The silence that followed my snappy comment was wonderful. Well, if the wind weren't there it would have been. Not really wanting to stay there any longer, I whipped out my cell phone again, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I had some kind of service, but unfortunately, the world hates me. Remember when I said the world was basically saying, "I'm amused, sorry if you're getting fucked in the process?" Well, those are the words I heard on the wind that day.

Or, they were, until a long arm suddenly draped itself across my shoulders. I shuddered slightly at the touch, not quite registering that Axel was probably doing that because it was chilly outside, and his body is about ten times the normal temperature. Okay, exaggeration to the max, but you know what I mean.

"Cold, Roxie?" Axel's voice was a low whisper in my ear. "Are you ready to give in and go back inside the car?"

"Fuck off," was the only response I could give him.

"Aw, but it's no fun without you."

Damn, that guy really wanted to be murdered, didn't he? If anyone else had been with us, that comment would have sent their minds into a spiral of ridiculous thoughts and assumptions, all of which would probably be true. I guess the only good thing about being in the middle of nowhere was that Axel could get away with saying things like that.

And I could get away with them as well.

"Really? I would have thought with how good you are, you would have practiced by yourself all the time."

That comment got me punched in the side. I flinched, but didn't let the annoying groan that hid in the back of my throat, because then Axel would know he'd hurt me. Which was his goal. And it annoyed him when he didn't reach his goals. And it was _my_ goal to make sure he became annoyed.

Payback, I guess.

He didn't react kindly to my lack of response, however, and the next thing I knew, I was being grabbed by the arm that had punched me. It wrapped around my stomach delicately, and efficiently, before yanking me away from where I was sitting, and onto Axel's lap.

I let out a yelp, unable to control the sound, which tugged a grin onto Axel's lips.

"Man, Roxie, I didn't realize you wanted me so badly," he smirked, head leaning down to my face. "Am I really that _good_?"

Okay, it was nearly impossible to get this guy pissed anymore. When I was still being an idiot and didn't know that Axel was gay, or that I liked him, it was so easy, but now...

"You're the one who's desperate," I snapped, trying to pull away. "I'm trying to get away from you."

"Roxie, Roxie, Roxie. You have such interesting badinage."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

Axel didn't answer me however, instead, pulling my head up to his so he could kiss me. Naturally, my brain went dead. This kiss seemed different than most of the ones I've experienced; light, simple, like a feathered touch, but at the same time it had so much meaning to it that my brain nearly exploded. It was a perfect moment, one that you only get to see once in a lifetime, you know?

And then Axel ruined it.

How did he ruin it?

By what he said, of course.

"Rawr."

Rawr? Why the hell would he say "rawr?" Was he referring to that stupid saying that kids have, where rawr means "I love you," or something like that?

I lost most of my respect for Axel right then.

"What's wrong? Did I shock you?" Axel asked, brushing some hair out of my eyes. "You're really pale."

"I'm fine," was my simple answer. "I'm just contemplating just how smart you really are."

Advice for future Roxas: Never question Axel's smartness.

Never.

"That, Roxas, was a very nasty affront." I was pushed off his lap after he said this. Though I didn't get too hurt, the shock of the action surprised me enough into complete and total silence as Axel continued to speak, a smirk appearing on his face. "I am cognizant of the fact that my intelligence will sometimes appear picayune, but I assure you, that laconic animadversion of yours lacked a certain... efficacy."

Obviously loving my completely confused look, Axel slid off the car and crouched over me.

"Now then, the fact that this propinquity engenders a special discomfit for you should not bring about any sort of canard, and you should be contrite for what you have just said about me. It doesn't matter much though; your exigency to annoy me is rather feckless, so you might as well give up your facade, and stop this febrile machination, because it fails to opprobrium me in any way."

Oh god, he was talking in words I didn't understand. Me, the middle of my class, being lectured with vocabulary that only freaks would know was somewhat unnerving. I mean, I couldn't even figure out what the hell Axel was trying to tell me, but based on the small smile on his face, he was kidding about whatever it was. Either that, or he was just amused.

"Man, Roxie, I didn't realize you would be so surprised," Axel said suddenly, his speech back to the Axel I knew and loved. It was like the world started spinning again, after a minute of complete and total stillness.

Creepy...

"What, the hell, was that?" I asked, my voice somewhat shaky from shock. Axel only laughed, then held a hand out to help me up.

"It's nothing, Roxie. You're just so captious that I had to be a complete and total jack ass and confuse you." He smirked. "Besides, your baffled expression is so adorable, I couldn't help but continue being a smart-alec."

"You are a complete and total-"

"Now, now, Roxie, I don't think it's quite deign of you to not be decorous to me. After all, I am the one helping you up."

"You're the one who pushed me off the car in the first-"

"Man, I thought you were going to be completely desiccated. But, I guess the fact that my putative hypothesis was incorrect only goes to prove how much you mesmerize me."

Wait, I mesmerize him?

I managed to pull my arm out of his grip, just realizing that it was trapped in his steely grasp. I'm sure my glare would have sent any normal person running for their mother's, but not Axel. Oh no. This guy just laughed at my "pathetic attempt to be ghoulish," as he put it later, and kissed me again.

"You can be so ethereal, Roxie, that I should probably sequester you from anyone else in the world," he whispered into my ear. "Though, it's indubitable that you would gainsay every attempt I tried to accomplish in order to reach this goal. No doubt, the pittance of my feelings for you that you know of would keep you from actually submitting to me."

I had enough at this point.

"Shut the hell up!" I screeched, tackling Axel to the car, and pressing my lips to his to keep him from talking anymore. This forward action certainly pleased him, and he wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me closer to him.

Needless to say, I was extremely happy that the sun was beginning to set, because no one could see the... um... things, Axel decided to do after I started making out with him.

I decided then, though, that smart Axel was annoying. I would never, ever, _ever_ question his intelligence again, for fear of him attacking me with more words. Though, it did lead to pretty nice results when I finally got fed up with his nonsense.

* * *

It was probably about four hours after I "attacked" Axel that we saw the car lights in the distance. At first, I didn't believe they were there, and convinced myself that I was hallucinating from lack of food and water, or that I'd fallen asleep and was dreaming. But as they drew closer, Axel smacked me over the head to wake me up, and exclaimed;

"Look, a cynosure!"

I glared at him, not in the mood for words that I didn't understand, and he rolled his eyes.

"Too annoying to explain. But from what I can tell, that's Riku's car, so we. Are. Saved!" He grabbed me, pulling my body into a tight hug right as the car pulled up behind ours. So of course, I pushed him away.

He was right, though, about the car. It was Riku's. Much to my happiness, the accountant and Ellie both got of the car and gave the two of us a funny look. Finally, Riku laughed.

"I told you they were out here being stupid. Pay up."

They made a bet. The two of them made a bet about where Axel and I had been all day. Why the hell do we talk to these people again? It's like, they didn't care about us at all, and were only using me and Axel for entertainment. Though, that's not really much of a stress, as Riku had already confessed to only caring about me amusing him and Sora so...

"Riku, it's not polite to make bets about our friends." Though Ellie was trying to use a harsh, scolding tone, it was obvious that she was only saying that to get out of paying her boyfriend whatever amount they'd bet on.

"Excuse me," Axel interpolated before Riku could speak. "But could the two of you take us back to our homes before you decide who owes who what?" My thoughts exactly. Only, I was too tired to say anything.

"Fine, whatever," Riku mumbled, shaking his head. "I can't believe the two of you got stuck out here for this long. Actually, it's more that I'm surprised Roxie didn't try to kill you."

I blushed, Axel laughed, and the couple in front of us exchanged confused glances. "Roxie did try to kill me. A couple of times," Axel explained after he stopped laughing for a bit. "His attempts just failed." Why did he have to wink at me after saying that? It was so suggestive...

They didn't comment on that, though. They just shared another glance before getting back into the car. Axel started laughing again.

"Hey, Roxie, the two of them are so incongruous," he said, steering me towards the car. Then, he leaned in and kissed me on the ear, which of course sparked a huge blush to form across my face. "I'm just being so abstruse today..."

Axel was a fucking genius. No doubt about it. It didn't matter anymore that he'd gotten us stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, or gas, or food and water, or anything but ourselves, really. He knew way too fucking much about everything.


	31. There are no words

**Only one chapter again this week, because I feel like being evil. Why do I feel like being evil? Well, that's a good question, but a better one to be asking is HOW it's going to be evil. Let's just say cliff hanger :P**

**I'm rather disappointed, you know. See, I got a few people who gave me a list of words from the last chapter, like I said, but no one defined any. That was part of the deal :P So, no one has "won" yet ;)**

**Anyway, onto reviews. I actually got quite a few this time O.O I was surprised XD I guess people like to review random filler chapters that are completely hysterical and pointless... XD**

**Kaoru-chibimaster: Yes, Rawr... That was a kind of craze in my middle school, so I had to put it in XD**

**P5hng-Me-A'Wy: I feel smart every time I read over that chapter XD So did my friends who had the same English class I did because they could understand every single word XD No, Ellie never does pay Riku. He tries to make her, but that doesn't go over very well... hehehehehehe ^^; I'm a Linkin Park fan too :)**

**themusicalmuffin: Awesome name, by the way XD And yes, you probably should be sleeping... is there a reason I needed to know that ;P I plan on a lot more plotting (:**

**SutaaFox: Okay, so I'm going to condense this a little because your review was so long, but here goes: Chapter titles come from random places. Some from a list of sayings I found on this site, others from my friend, some from my chemistry teacher (like chapter 30, and the Halloween chapter), and some from my own brain O.O My brothers and I came up with the name for our dog together... kinda. Riku is... well, Riku. He likes to make bets because he's so competitive, and usually he wins, but he doesn't always get the money. Ellie refuses to pay him most of the time. You'd think he'd learn... You do get more crack eventually, but also quite a bit of drama, so... XD**

**ThePirateMage: Don't worry, only freaks know those words off the top of their head. Wait... I did but didn't know them off the top of my head. As I stated, they were my vocab words for English one unit, so I HAD to know them off the top of my head, but didn't at the time I wrote this. I do now, though... **

**L.L: I do update every week, you know :P I loved imagining this chapter in my head as I wrote it, and then my friend declared she was going to draw a comic to go along with it XD Who knows if she's actually going to, but... Glad you liked the chapter :)**

**chocomiiillk13: Well, these words were from Pre-AP English, so not quite AP :P I'm taking THAT next year... oh dear... COOOOOOOKIES! Too bad I'm not in school right now, or that basket would make me the most popular person there XD**

**813 i love you 813: Well, for chapter 30 you only said some of the words, so... XD If you want a reply to chapter 29, let me know and I'll PM you :)**

**Varette: Yes, things between Axel and Roxas are very slow in this story... but that's more realistic, in my opinion XD**

**Sorry the AN is so long... So many people reviewing O.o Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and for those of you who are interested, I started posting a new story called Il Pleut dans la Nuit. It's not an AU, and it mainly focuses on an OC and Riku (though it's not a romance) and it's very... dark. So if you want to read it, have at! :D I only have the prologue and chapter 1 posted though... ^^;**

**Also, please answer the poll. It'll be up until the story ends, and no later XD Other than that, read, enjoy, and review! :)**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: There are no words in the English language to fully express the depth of which I don't give a damn**

* * *

Axel's arms were a comforting barrier, keeping all the horrible crap that I was thinking about away, and showing me that at least one person cared about whether or not I was being an idiot. Of course, he was the _only_ one who knew, so I guess that doesn't really count.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, before kissing me lightly on the neck. I nodded, closing my eyes so that the feel of his lips completely consumed me for a moment. It was nice that Axel was holding me from behind, because he couldn't see my face at all from where he was standing. Why was this nice?

Because I was one hundred percent sure that I was paler than the white fluffy clouds floating in the sky.

"Look, Roxas, you don't have to do this-"

"Yes I do!" I gripped Axel's hands tightly. "I've stalled for long enough. I need to do this."

My boyfriend said nothing for a moment, then sighed, resting his forehead against my neck. "Roxas, it's not that hard to keep our relationship a secret if you really don't want anyone to know."

"I do! But, I don't, but I do!" I let out a frustrated sigh and pressed back against Axel's body. He was so comforting, despite the fact that he was a pile of bones and flesh. I think it was more his abnormal body heat that really calmed me down. Because I was freaking out.

Let me tell you, that standing outside Axel's car, in the parking garage of my work, trying to decide whether or not I wasn't being stupid and that telling my co-workers/friends about me and Axel wasn't a ridiculous idea can be really taxing to a person. It also makes them feel cold, which is why the heat of Axel's body was wonderful beyond all belief.

"I know you want them to know, and to just get it out, but if you're going to be embarrassed about it, then there's really no point," Axel said, letting me go, and turning me around. "I know that it's embarrassing for you to go out with me-"

"No! It's not," I protested, hugging Axel quickly. "That's not why I'm embarrassed! I, I just..."

"You don't want people to know that the guy you've hated for the past year is the guy you're now in love with?"

Blushing, I nodded, and placed my head against his chest. "I know it's stupid, but every time I think of telling all of them, I can't help but want to run and hide. It's like, I'm going to be ridiculed if I say anything about it."

"And, why would anyone want to ridicule you?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Well," Axel started to say, but stopped suddenly, pushing me away.

"Axel?"

"Never mind. Let's go." He grabbed my arm and began pulling me to the front door. However, I wanted to know why he'd stopped talking and pushed me away, so I refused to walk. Even though Axel was a hell of a lot stronger than I am, and could probably have just yanked me across the garage, he stopped moving, giving me a funny look.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Push me away. I want to know why-"

"It's not important, Roxas. I just though I heard something." He was obviously lying to me, hiding something, but honestly I was in no mood to deal with him, so I sighed and started walking again. He didn't move, just watching me as I passed him. When I was a few feet away, I heard his voice again.

"Last chance to change your mind, Roxie," Axel called after me. "We can call this whole thing off right now if you want."

It was tempting. Axel was being so supportive of me and my issues, which was something most others wouldn't even consider doing. Not even I would be that way. I hadn't been, anyway. With all of my girlfriends, and now Axel, I'd been somewhat selfish, thinking only of my own needs rather than what they thought, and how they felt. I wondered briefly how Axel felt about that, and how it made him view me as a person.

But, I didn't have the time to think about it. I had a secret to reveal.

"I'm doing this."

* * *

So, apparently the world hates me. Really hates me.

I'd already psyched myself up, gotten ready for the revelation of me dating Axel, but when I walked into the building, instead of being able to go up to my office and have everyone go there, someone kidnapped me.

Quite literally.

Who was it you ask?

My fucking goddamn father.

He was such a bastard... I mean, I walked into the office, Axel close behind me, and next thing I know, Dad's grabbed my shoulder, saying he needs to talk to me, and shoves me towards the elevator.

I didn't even know my dad could _leave_ his office while he was working. But, there he was. Axel looked just as shocked as I did about the whole thing, and he tried to follow us, but Dad yelled at him to stay put. Weird. Dad almost never raises his voice.

He was probably pissed about something.

Shit.

"Dad?" My voice was really quiet when we were in the elevator. At first I thought he hadn't heard me, so I started to repeat his name, but he turned around before I could.

"What is your relationship with Mr. Lea?" His blue eyes were piercing, scary, and cold. It was something I'd never seen before, though I assumed he only looked like that when he was angry. So of course I didn't want to tell him the truth. If he was upset because he assumed I was going out with Axel, then I was screwed.

"Roxas?"

"What do you mean?" My answer was instantaneous this time.

"You know what I mean, Roxas. I want to know what sort of relationship you have with Axel Lea."

"Why-"

"Because if the two of you are more than just friends, then I have to know," he sighed, shaking his head. I really didn't want to talk to him about this. Friends, okay. Father's? Not exactly the one I want to talk about when it came to dating a guy, especially since I'm also a guy. Maybe if I'd known that I could like a dude for a lot longer, it would be easier to come out to him, but no. I just had to only figure this out when I was nineteen, working for my father, and ending up dating my future business partner.

Like I said, life hates me.

"I need an answer. Now," Dad told me with a dark voice. I shuddered, pressing back against the elevator, hoping that we were almost to the top floor so I could escape from this nonsense for a few minutes and get my thoughts together.

I wasn't lucky enough to get away with that.

"Axel and I... we're..." I'm pretty sure my bloody red face gave away my answer, but my father is a fucking cruel man. He wanted to hear it from me, not say it himself. There was no doubt in my mind that the jerk has known from the beginning what was going on, but did he just accept it?

Of course not. He had to be a fucking...

"We're dating."

I finally said it. Out loud. To a person who wasn't Axel or Pence. To my father.

Fucking, damn, shit, ass, crap!

The door to the top floor opened and my father stepped out.

"Thank you for telling me. Please don't let it get in the way of your work," was all he said. I felt like I just put myself completely out there, been totally honest with my father, and he just shoved it to the side like it was no big deal.

What a bastard.

* * *

"You okay?" Axel asked me when I found my way to his office. I was really the only one who ever went in there, besides Axel. Everyone else said it was boring and pointless, which was kinda true. The floor was a little bit... um... odd, because I'm sure Axel was the only one who worked on it. Which was weird. I wondered why the hell my father had a thirteen story building when not every floor was completely used.

Maybe he just took it because it was convenient?

The only thing in Axel's office was his desk and a bunch of random papers. It made me wonder what the hell he did in this job.

"Dad... My dad knows that we're going out," I muttered, looking away. "He asked me about our relationship, and I knew he already figured it out, so I told him, and-"

"He didn't really care?"

I shook my head, and Axel laughed.

"Your dad can be really predictable," he said, standing up and walking towards me, "I figured he knew. Actually, he's known that I've had a crush on you since he hired me." I let out a small "oh," then figured out exactly what he'd said. Axel had been twenty-two when he started working for my dad, which meant...

"You've had a crush on me since I was fifteen?" I exclaimed. "What the hell?"

"Longer, actually," Axel said with a smirk. "But of course, until you were eighteen I couldn't do anything without being considered a pedophile, so I kept to myself." The smile on his face was slightly creepy.

"I think I'm going to start avoiding you..." I trailed off, just a little freaked out by Axel's revelation, and started to back out the door, but of course, Axel wouldn't let me leave. His arm grabbed mine and pulled me into a hug. I struggled to get away, but his arms wrapped around my back were like steel traps, keeping me stuck in a single place.

His laughter vibrated my head, which was resting against his warm chest, and he muttered, "You couldn't stay away from me if you tried."

It was irritating how fucking true that statement was.

"Yeah yeah," I told him, finally being able to push away. "Now, we have a secret to spill."

* * *

"So, what is it you want to tell us?" Riku asked. The six of us were in Ellie's office, as she had summoned us there after finding out I needed to talk to everyone. Kairi and Sora were sitting next to each other in the window sill, having a silent conversation about something. I guessed it had something to do with the fact that Sora looked slightly beat up, and was covered in black paint. Behind Ellie's desk, Riku was sitting in her chair, and Ellie was on the wooden desk, facing me.

I knew that Axel was standing behind me, probably leaning against the door, his arms crossed, and a completely serious look on his face. No one was really talking, and the air of the room was uncomfortable and thick. Probably, the four people who knew nothing about what I wanted to talk about could see my extremely pale face, and were worried about me.

That just made me feel worse.

"Well... I... uh... I..." I stuttered, laughing nervously. I'd planned this conversation in my head about a million times;

_"I know I started out hating all of you guys, especially Axel, but I guess this past year I grew up a bit, and I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm glad I work here. Also, I'm guessing that all of you have assumed there's something going on between me and Axel, and you're right. The two of us are going out."_

That's what I hoped to say.

It's not what came out.

Actually, nothing came out. I lost my voice after stuttering for a bit, blushing. I felt so embarrassed by my inability to actually talk about what I needed to, that I looked at my feet.

"Roxas? You alright?" Kairi's motherly tone was somewhat of a relief for me, and I got the courage to look at them again. "What is it you're going to tell us?"

But I didn't get to say anything else. I barely registered Axel's hand cupping my chin and pulling my head up a little, his other arm wrapping around my stomach. I felt his chest against my back, and then his lips against mine. I didn't know how anyone was reacting to Axel's bold movement, and even after Axel pulled away, his hand moved to cover my eyes so I couldn't see.

"Just that he and I are an item," Axel said in that goddamn cocky voice of his.

Silence.

I went numb.

They probably hated me, or thought I was a freak, or-

"Finally! We've been fucking waiting for this since day one!" Sora started laughing after saying this, and Axel's hand was removed from my eyes. The first thing I noticed was Ellie; looking at me with a small smile, and a happy look in her eyes. When I caught her gaze, she shook her head and mouthed something at me.

_"Took you long enough."_

Riku too was smiling, and he started joking around with Sora about all the times the two of them walked in on us, or when they teased me about what happened, and even Kairi looked happy.

Though, for her, it was more a relieved look.

I felt more confident.

"Alright, I think it's party time!" Riku said, jumping up. "Thank god work's over!"

I had to laugh, and at the same time, cry. I think I was just so happy and relieved that everyone was happy about this, and not disgusted, or freaked out, that my body just decided I needed to cry, something I don't do. Axel saw and pulled me into a hug.

"I told you it would be fine," he said in my ear. "Now, let's go party."

Smiling, I nodded. "Okay. But first, I have two more people I need to talk to."

* * *

"Hayner?"

"Yeah, what?"

I didn't know what to say. Olette and Pence both knew that I was going out with Axel, but Hayner didn't. I needed to tell him, but I didn't know how he would react to it. I think he had issues with people who were gay, and even though I'm technically bi, not gay, he would still probably freak out on me.

But, I had to tell him.

"So, I wasn't completely honest with you when you came out to visit." Silence greeted me. It had been four months since his visit, being August now, and we've talked almost every day. I knew, even if he had no problem with me dating a guy, he would be pissed at me for not telling him.

_"What haven't you told me?"_

"You know Axel, right?"

_"Duh! Wait, did you just call him-"_

"We're dating."

_"..."_

Then there was dial tone. I sighed, and glanced at my cell, snapping it shut. This couldn't be a good sign.

* * *

One more person. I just had to tell one more person, who I'm pretty sure already knew about all of this, but still. It was worse than any other person I had to talk to. Dad was bad, Hayner was worse, but telling your mother that her only child is in love with a guy...

Well, I wasn't very eager to find out what her reaction would be.

So, sitting with her, in the living room, after a night out at dinner, I was trying to figure out how to tell her what was going on in her son's life. It was weird though. I couldn't just interrupt her peaceful reading situation, but I had to, so I could go out and party with my friends. Or, "party." Who knew what we would actually be doing.

"Roxas has something to tell you."

I jumped at the sound of my father's voice. He was standing at the back of the living room, watching me with eyes that said, "you'd better fucking tell her, or I will, and you won't be happy about the consequences for being a wimp."

Wonderful father...

"You do?" Mom's eyes were wide. She looked over at me expectantly, placing her book on the coffee table, and I silently cursed my dad.

"Yes, he does."

Obviously not liking the fact that I was avoiding the topic of me and Axel, my dad's voice was cold, which didn't go unnoticed by Mom. She sighed.

"What did you do this time, Roxas?"

"Nothing!" I exclaimed, standing up. I was a good kid; always have been, so there was no logical reason for her to think I had done something wrong. Even worse than that strange assumption, though was the tone of voice Mom had. It was disappointment. Was I really that horrible of a son, that she automatically had a sad tone to her voice?

"Well, then what do you need to tell me?"

I really didn't want to tell her.

"Well, it's... um..." I glanced back at my dad, silently pleading with him to leave the room so I wouldn't have to deal with him and Mom at the same time. He didn't leave. I nearly flipped him off. "It's about who I'm dating."

"You have another girlfriend?" Mom seemed shocked, horrified, and happy at the same time.

"Not exactly." As I said this, her face fell. "I'm... well, I'm going out with Axel."

Happiness, then shock, then sadness. That was her reactions over the course of the next few minutes. I figured she was just processing the whole thing, and didn't actually care that I was going out with a guy. Like Dad, only she was taking a hell of a lot longer to reply to it.

Let's just say, I wasn't prepared for her reaction.

"No," she said, sounding like the world was coming to an end. "No, I can't... I can't accept this."


	32. When in darkness or in doubt

**Yeah. That's right. I'm posting early XD Don't worry, you'll get another chapter on Saturday like normal, but I decided to give you guys a surprise chapter XD I'm so nice, aren't I? XD**

**O.O Okay, so I got a ton of reviews since Saturday, so I don't think I'm going to reply to them all... Yeah, I'm not going to. Too many. Instead:**

**So, to BuddyCakes, ThePirateMage, Kaoru-chibimaster, Raikanis, chocomiiillk13, and Animeloverx175, thanks for the reviews :) Cliff hangers are horrible, horrible creations that are so much fun to write, but suck to read... trust me, I know your pain... I'm just mean enough to torture other people with them XD Also, Tifa isn't that mean... I think...**

**813 i love you 813: Don't worry, she can't do anything. Roxas is an adult. He can do whatever he wants XD**

**BreakBeauty: Roxas' mom's name is Tifa :P You guys haven't met Aerith yet XD Axel's speech was supposed to confuse people, by the way XD That's one reason I had fun writing that chapter XD**

**blueloving-vampire: Wow O.O Two days? That's a long time to be reading a fanfic... I'm glad you like it :) I'm actually glad the story is technically over, because I am SICK of Roxas... having him be in my head for 8-9 months has made me hate him... ^^; Roxas' co-workers remind me of my friends as well, minus any relationships. XD I hate it when every single couple is gay or lesbian in fanfics. So I refuse to write anything like that. Straight people do exist, and it's not a horrible thing to like the opposite sex. -_- The Princess Bride chapter was unedited... so I'm not surprised there were many mistakes in it... XD I wasn't so sure how people would react to the rawr moment... I'm glad you liked it XD My heart broke when I wrote Tifa saying she couldn't accept it :'( I didn't like that moment at all... **

**Nano: Five hours... O.o I didn't think this story was worth reading it for five hours... I mean, I know some are, but... Roxas? Cute? Wow, I don't think I've ever heard that one before for this fic XD (other than Axel who won't let me forget -_-). I would watch out for Roxas if I were you. He might take over your body and try to make you waste 8 months of your time writing a pathetically long fanfic... -_- And Axel is very sexy :) It makes me happy to hear you think his personality has been capture perfectly. He's so hard to write, being so mysterious and what not on the games... Took me two weeks of research to figure out how to write him... **

**xXSweet BlasphemyXx: Secret fangirl? Um... this is her son we're talking about... XD Anyway, thanks for all the reviews you left for me :) I appreciate them! And Axel being straight-forward is so fun to write. XD**

**Hallucinating Skys: Again, thanks for all the reviews :) It was weird sometimes to read them, because I was expecting things for chapter 31, and when it didn't make any sense to me reading some of them I got confused... ^^; **

**Finally, P5hng-Me-A'Wy: Be patient! You'll learn about the first time Roxas and Axel met in good time :)**

**Okay, so, one more thing to say: Congratulations to Hallucinating Skys for finding and defining 5 words from chapter 30 :) I'll be writing/posting the story as soon as I get off my lazy ass and get to work XD**

**Yeah... I think that's enough from me. Enjoy, review, and sorry. (You'll see why I'm apologizing...)**

**Full Chapter Title: When in darkness, or in doubt; run in circles, scream and shout**

* * *

"What?"

Mom was still sitting, but I couldn't. I had to stand. I was too dumbfounded to even move. I thought that maybe she would have a few shocked reactions, but she wouldn't deny it. She would just say that it was okay, and maybe act a little funny, but she wouldn't just plain old say she wasn't okay with it.

"I'm sorry, Roxas, but I can't-"

I didn't wait to hear the rest of her sentence before storming out of the room, not even bothering to dodge my father. I remember crashing into him, and Mom calling out my name, but that's about it. I needed to get out of there.

Outside, the night air was cool and refreshing, but it failed to calm me down as I hoped it would. Instead, it just made me cold, and my irritation rose greatly, especially when I started shivering. If only I hadn't been in such a rush to get away from Mom that I completely forgot to grab my stupid coat... There was only one thing I coulddo to get out of this place.

Call Axel.

So I did.

He picked up on the first ring.

_"Yo, Roxie, ready to be picked up? Riku and Sora are-"_

"I don't want to go to the party," I muttered, trying to hold back all the emotion that wanted to come spilling out.

_"Roxas, what happened?"_

"Nothing happened. I'm just not in the mood to celebrate anything."

_"Where are you?"_

I looked up from my feet. Somehow, I'd made it to the park near my house. How I got there was a mystery to me, however, as I didn't even remember walking down the street, or through the grassy field that led to the park. And yet, I was there.

"I'm at the park," I said. "The park near my house. Do you-"

_"I'll be right there."_

That was all he said before hanging up the phone. In the background, I remember hearing Ellie asking Axel what was going on. I smiled, wondering what he told her as I stumbled to the bench near the park. It was nice to sit down after walking through the night. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back and began thinking about what had just happened.

The two people I needed to accept this the most... one hung up on me, and the other decided she couldn't accept what was going on. Both of those things were like a stab in my chest, but I had to admit that hearing my own mother tell me that she couldn't accept me dating Axel, when I'd been so paranoid about the whole thing, was a hell of a lot worse than Hayner's shit.

Suddenly, I started laughing. Just, laughing. I don't know what was wrong with me, or why all I wanted to do was laugh my ass off, but it felt good. Or, it did something to make me happy. Silently, I wished that I'd never told Mom or Hayner anything about what was going on.

"I think you've gone insane," a voice said behind me, and I turned to see Axel. He had a sad smirk on his face, like he knew something that I didn't know. He did, of course, know a shit ton more than I could ever dream of knowing, but it was still annoying to see that cocky look.

"I have _not_ gone insane," I told him, standing up slowly. "I just have nonsensical friends and family."

"I take it things didn't go well with Hayner and your mom?"

"You must be a genius." Axel laughed as he pulled me into a hug.

"Yeah, a genius. So, what happened?"

I contemplated not telling him. There was no doubt that he would get mad at the two of them, probably yell at them for being horrible people. Actually, there was a bit of doubt. Axel had been abnormally calm all day. Even when I had been called away by my father, he acted like nothing in the world could surprise him today. It was possible, that he already knew about what was going on.

"Well, Hayner hung up on me as soon as I told him, and my mom-"

"She didn't like it, did she."

Yeah, he totally knew. And yet he let me go through with telling them. Either he wanted me to know, or he was a jack ass of a boyfriend.

Probably both.

"She told me that she couldn't accept it." I pushed away. "I didn't think she would be like that! Sure, maybe some denial, but not that she couldn't accept this. Why the hell would she say that to me?"

I looked up at him fearfully.

"Why would a mother do that?"

Axel pulled me back into a hug, despite my struggling. "I don't know, Roxas. I'm sure she has her reasons." His forehead rested on the top of my head. "I'm sure she has her reasons."

And for the second time that day, I started to cry.

* * *

I didn't want to talk to my dad. I'm pretty sure he was going to do something to try and convince me that Mom wasn't being a bitch. Well, it wasn't going to work. Even though I'd spent the night at Axel and Sora's apartment, I hadn't calmed down. Sure, the three of us and Riku had a few drinks, laughed about what was going on, and overall just had a good time, but deep down, I wasn't having fun.

At all.

And now I had to talk to my father.

Damn life. Why do you hate me so?

"Roxas, about last night-"

"Don't talk to me about it," I snapped, leaning back in the chair I'd been mentally forced into. I say mentally, because my father had this way of convincing people to do whatever he wanted them to. He basically threatened me.

"We need to talk about it."

"No. We. Don't."

"Yes, we do. Your mother is really upset about what happened, and I need to explain-" My standing up and knocking over the chair shut Dad up almost immediately. I glared down at him, my stare cold, and he matched my glare equally.

"I don't care how Mom was acting. She's nothing but a bitch."

I swear my father wanted to murder me. I actually wanted to die myself, as I'd just called my mom, who raised and took care of me for nineteen years, a bitch, which wasn't true at all. Remind me never to testify in court. I don't know how to control what I want to say...

"You know _nothing_ about your mother. She is dealing with things you could never understand," he said, his voice low and quiet. "The fact that she didn't act the way you wanted her to last night does _not _give you the right to-"

"The right to what? Be upset?" I laughed and shook my head. "Do you know how hard it was for me to even think about telling you guys that I'm going out with Axel? I thought I was going to die earlier today."

"You didn't seem that upset when I talked to you."

"Yeah, you already knew-"

"So did your mother."

I froze. "What?" How could she know? I never talked to her about Axel, and she was never around when Axel was, unlike Dad who worked with us every day. She couldn't have known. Also, she didn't act like it when I started talking to her tonight.

"Your mother knew, even before I did, that you and Mr. Lea were in a relationship."

"Then why the hell didn't she tell me?" I nearly yelled. "Why didn't she tell me earlier that she 'couldn't accept this' so I could be done with it already. Maybe not be as hurt. Instead she waited, how long? Six months? Has she known since the beginning? Or-"

"Go talk to her if you want to know."

"Oh, first I had to talk to you, now I have to talk to Mom. Are you ever fucking satisfied?" I was absolutely furious with my stupid father. Wouldn't it have been better to bring Mom here so the three of us could talk and I couldn't get away? You'd think Dad would know that.

"We just had our talk, Roxas, even if you can't see that." He was standing, hands clenched into white fists as he scolded me. "Now you need to have a talk with-"

"Are you Cloud Strife?"

Both Dad and I jumped at the sound of that creepy, dark voice which said those words. Dad's face was absolutely priceless. Eyes wide, but at the same time dangerous, like he was looking at a man he didn't want to meet. Not only that, but it was full of surprise. He looked like he was going to murder whoever was standing in the doorway behind me.

So I turned around.

And nearly screamed.

The guy who'd spoken, I recognized him.

As the guy who Riku, Sora, Axel, and I were scolded by on Halloween. He looked exactly the same as he did that night; long dark hair, cold eyes, loose black clothing, and a strange red headband. It was nerve racking just looking at him.

"I asked," the guy growled, "are you Cloud Strife?"

"I am," Dad replied. "Who are you, what do you want, and how did you get in my office?"

"Where is Tifa?"

"Pardon?"

I was so confused. This guy who just came completely silently into my dad's office was looking for Mom... what the hell?

"I want to know where Tifa Lockhart is."

Not only that, but he was using my mom's maiden name. He probably knew her before she met Dad, which means they knew each other in high school. He also said her name in a protective sort of way, like an older brother or something. But if he was like an older brother to Mom, then why had I never seen him before? And why did Dad looked so pissed to see him?

"Tifa _Strife_ isn't here. What the hell do you want?" It was interesting how Dad emphasized how Mom's last name was Strife now, not Lockhart. It was like he had a beef with this guy, even though he didn't seem to know who it was.

What the hell?

"I want to speak to Tifa. I was told she was going to be here, and I need to talk to her. Now."

Well, this guy certainly got straight to the point. But why would he be looking for Mom here? She almost never came here unless there was something _freaky_ going on and she was asking my dad about it. There was no way in hell she was going to-

"Vince? What are you doing here?"

Oh great. Mom showed up.

Wait a moment.

Why was she here?

She was standing by the door, behind the guy she called Vince, looking as though she ran here. She was panting, her hair in a mess, and she was leaning against the doorway. The temperature in the room dropped about fifty degrees, and the air was so awkward, leaving me feeling like a piece of shit.

Dad was glaring at the guy, the guy was watching Mom with a protective look, and Mom who was glancing between the two men in the room, realizing what was going on. No one paid any attention to me, of course, and I kinda faded into the background. It was like my own issues were no longer important at all.

"Tifa? Do you know this man?" Dad asked, but at the same time, the man said, "You haven't come to visit in a long time. Aerith was getting worried. Zack sent me to find you."

Mom looked horrified. Dad looked pissed.

"Tifa, what is he talking about?"

All I could do was watch as Mom stood up straight, and took a tentative step towards Dad. "Uh... he's-"

"I thought you said you didn't have any contact with them," Dad said, sitting back in his chair. Mom was so pale... I'd never seen her like this before. Actually, that's a lie. I had. Once before. When Mom and Dad were finished arguing that first night after Halloween.

After I told them about meeting this guy.

"I... I'm sorry, Cloud, I didn't want to keep it a secret from you, but I had to," my mom took another step towards Dad, but the man held out his arm to keep her from moving any farther. He obviously noticed the dangerous aura around Dad, and was acting like any brother figure would: protect his sister from the danger.

It was then that I decided to step in.

"What the hell is going on?"

Suddenly, I wasn't invisible anymore. In fact, all eyes were on me now, and I looked around the room completely confused. Who was this guy? Why was Dad so upset to see him? What was going on with Mom? When did she meet this guy? And how the hell did she keep him a secret from dad?

"Roxas?" Mom's voice was squeaky. "I... Uh... this guy... he's an old friend of mine from... um..."

"You're Roxas?" The guy turned towards me, eyes narrowing. "You don't look like your mother."

Wonderful. Just one more guy who told me I looked nothing like my mom.

"Yeah, I'm Roxas. Who are you, and what's going on?"

"It's not important, Roxas. Will you please leave so I can talk to your father and Vincent?" Vincent. Oh, so we finally get his name. Wonderful. Now if only Mom would tell me who he was, what he was doing here, and _what the hell was going on!_

"Uh-uh. I'm not leaving. I want to know what's happening!" All thoughts of what had happened the day before were gone. I wanted to know. I really, really, really wanted to know.

"Tifa, I think it's time," Dad said suddenly. Mom, the weird Vincent guy, and I all looked over at him. Mom asked him what he meant, but by the sound of her voice, I knew she already figured out what he meant. Dad answered her anyway. "I think it's time to tell Roxas the truth about who we were, and what happened."

"What are you talking about?" Who they were? What happened?

"Cloud, I don't think we should talk to him about this..."

"No, we need to." He turned to the man, to Vincent. "You've seen Tifa. She's fine. Please leave." The man nodded, glanced down at Mom for a moment, then stalked silently out of the room.

Creepy.

"Cloud..."

"What's going on?"

Mom looked at me sadly, then to Dad, then back to me. "I think you should sit down, Roxas, this is a... it's a long story."

* * *

"Your father and I... well, we didn't meet in college, which is what we've always told you. We didn't meet because of Cloud's friend, Angeal, and this company wasn't started until a few years before you were born, Roxas. Everything I told you before, and that your father told you was the story I wanted you to grow up knowing. I wanted you to hear a story that wouldn't make you ashamed of me. I don't know why I became so obsessed with this. I shouldn't have, but on the day you were born, Roxas, I decided you didn't need to know anything. I didn't want you to know. But obviously, it was naive of me to think I could just keep my life before a secret.

"I guess the first lie you heard was how me and you father met. It wasn't in college. I don't really remember our first meeting, actually. Cloud's just been in my life forever, since I was born, almost. Our parents were friends, you see, so when they would get together, have a party, or something along those lines, the two of us were shoved together to play. At first it was fun. I was somewhat spoiled by my parents, so I didn't really know how to make friends, and your dad was the only one who would be near me when we were young. I liked that. But when I got a little older, something changed. Stuff... stuff happened to me. For the longest time I blamed your father for what was happening. He knew, and he didn't stop it. I began to hate him.

"Then my parents died in a car accident. I was sixteen. Everything they owned, all their money, their house, everything, was left to me as soon as I turned eighteen. But that was two years away. Being a minor, I was left in the custody of Cloud's parents. They were nice to me, treating me like a daughter, but I hated it with them. I hated everything about them. They always talked about my parents like they were still around, mentioned them in every conversation... it made me feel like I was suffocating. But your father was different. He consoled me, sat with me when I cried, took me out for random rides on his motorcycle so I could clear my head.

"But, I still couldn't stand it there. I wanted to escape, to get out of that life. So, as soon as I graduated from high school, I ran away. I don't remember how many days I was just walking, and it wasn't fun. Then, one night, I finally made it to Hallow Bastion. Hungry, cold, and getting sick. That's how I arrived in the slums of that place. And that's how _they_ found me. This... this gang of people who called themselves SeeD. They didn't like me for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that I dared glare at their leader, but I was taken into an alley, and beaten to near death. The last thing I can remember is their laughter.

"Then I was waking up in a warm bed, with a pregnant woman standing over me. Her name was Aerith. She explained to me that I was in a small house owned by her and her husband, Zack, and that I had been saved from death by one of her friends. That man who was here, Vincent, he was the one who saved me. I felt like I owed these weird people who lived in poverty, but were so happy... they became my family, and even though by law they were considered a gang, they weren't bad.

"Slowly, I started learning how to fight. I became known as "The Princess of Darkness," or just "Princess." People were afraid of me, they ran when I showed up. I wasn't afraid of anything anymore. And I wasn't sad. The only thing I missed from my life before was your father, but I knew it was an impossibility to talk to him. We lived in different worlds. For eight years I lived with them. For eight years I became a fighter, and a gang member, and SeeD's hatred for me grew every day.

"Until one day, when they caught me unawares in their territory, and tried to kill me. They were going to kill me, they really were, but your father suddenly appeared and stopped them from completing their mission. After I was released from the hospital he brought me to, I started living with him, and I made a promise that I would leave the past eight years behind, forget them, and never speak of it again. But I couldn't. I just couldn't let them think I'd died. So after Cloud and I got married, and you were born, I went back.

"When I first got there, I was attacked by a new comer. I guess that's what happens when you vanish for five years. No one knows who you are. But, as I'd just gotten out of the hospital after giving birth to you, I wasn't very strong and I fainted. The girl who attacked me, Marlene, felt bad and brought me into the house. Aerith and Zack recognized me immediately. They were happy I was alive, and they wanted to keep in contact with me. I felt horrible for doing this, but I told them that once a month I would come and visit them. Cloud wouldn't notice, and you would be busy with school after a while.

"I told them about you. I guess the picture I showed them made Aerith extremely happy, so she and Zack decided that they wanted to be your god-parents, Roxas. I told them it would be fine. And I never told your father what happened. So for the past nineteen years I've been visiting them and keeping them up to date with our lives. Until March, when you got into a car crash. That's why Vincent was here. He wanted to make sure I was okay. He kinda took on the older brother persona when I lived with them.

"I'm sorry, I... I should have just told you the truth. I just... I didn't want you to know. I was acting like such a child, and some of the things that happened to me still give me nightmares. I didn't want my only son to know about it. I'm sorry."

* * *

I didn't know what to do. Mom just told me the weirdest thing ever; that she lied to me for nineteen years, that I had god-parents, that she'd been part of a gang, that she grew up in a world that I didn't even know about.

Both of my parents were looking at me expectantly, waiting for my reaction, for me to say something, but honestly, I didn't know what to say.

So I said nothing.

I just stood up, and walked out of the room.

* * *

"So, you're going to be staying with us for a while?" Sora asked me when I arrived at their apartment later that day. I nodded.

"Do you mind?"

He just rolled his eyes. "As long as you don't keep me up all night, I don't care. But why? What's going on?" He was the fourth person to ask me that. The first was Kairi, who witnessed the whole thing with my parents. When she saw me, I was immediately interrogated. I just told her that I needed to think and didn't want to talk.

Ellie and Riku were next. Well, technically it was Ellie who did all the talking. Riku just sat back and watched. But I said the same things to her that I did to Kairi; I didn't want to talk.

Then there was Axel. Only he didn't really ask me anything. He just kissed me and said if I needed to, I could stay with him, and that Sora wouldn't really mind. Sometimes it sucks having a boyfriend who could practically read your mind.

"My parents... they... they haven't exactly been honest with me. I just can't go home," I finally answered. Behind me, Axel patted my head.

"You don't have to talk about it, Roxas," he said. I smiled, glad for such wonderful friends. They really understood what was going on in my life, and that I didn't want to talk, or have any kind of communication with anyone.

At first it was nice, then I got to thinking about what was happening. The weight of the story my mom told me came crashing down on me. My vision went blurry, my hearing became blocked and I felt faint. The world around me was spinning. I couldn't feel my feet anymore, and my breathing became shallow, harsh, and painful.

Nothing was going right, and as my world went black, I felt warm arms wrap around my body.

"Roxas!"


	33. We're all born naked, wet, and hungry

**I love everyone's reaction to Tifa's back story. I was hoping no one would have guessed it XD**

**Anyway, I'm going to go backwards with reviews this time :D So, first of all, to Satanic Tiger Bunnie of Doom: 1, that's an awesome name. 2, waffles? Why waffles? 3, It makes me happy that you ended up liking the story even though you didn't think you would XD**

**UnmeiNinja: Thank you for reading this story for the past two days (from when you submitted your review) and I'm glad you like Axel's personality :) I find this story to be very entertaining too, and of course I wouldn't give up on it! It's impossible to do so when your muse is bugging you to write it every few minutes. Not to mention your friends who ask every day if you have a new chapter and it has to be good or they get mad at you -_- Anyway, thanks for the review!**

**813 i love you 813: Don't worry, you'll learn about Roxas and Axel's past eventual- wait, what am I saying? This story IS their past XD Well, together. You know pretty much everything about Roxas, but I suppose you're talking about the first time they met... You'll find out about that eventually XD**

**BuddyCakes: Oh, I'm just getting started with the cliffies (: **

**ThePirateMage: Wait, Clack? Where did you get that from in this story O.o As for what's happening with Roxas, and why Tifa won't accept them... well, you'll find out. Sometime. **

**P5hng-Me-A'Wy: Oh good. Because you're going to need a lot of patience :D Everything (kinda) will be explained in good time. Just, not always when you expect it to be explained. :)**

**Hallucinating Skys: Yeah, poor Roxas... But that's the least of his worries right now XD It's fine. I got used to it quickly XD**

**and finally, xXSweet BlasphemyXx: I tried to make it a good twist. Even though I've been planning this since day one... XD So it wasn't really a twist for me when I wrote it... (alright. You kinda freaked me out there...)**

**Sorry that my replies are... short. I'm tired and I want to work on Il Pleut dans la Nuit because I got an AWESOME review for it and I'm excited now :D Sorry. Freak of nature who loves constructive criticism XD **

**So yeah, chapter 33 is a bit early, and chapter 34 will be later today because I won't really have time tonight to post... maybe. But oh well XD **

**Please enjoy chapter 33, and of course review. :)**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: We're all born naked, wet, and hungry. Then it gets worse**

* * *

"Roxas? Wake up! Hey!"

"Nn." The voice was far away, but at the same time so close to me. It interrupted my dream though. I was dreaming about when I was a kid, and I was sitting on my mom's lap, asking her about something that happened to me at school, only, I couldn't see her face. It was blurry, and I couldn't hear her voice. But I could see myself. I was about five. Maybe six. It was a happy dream.

"Roxas!"

But that voice calling my name was pulling me away. It was pulling me away...

"Roxas!"

My eyes finally opened, and the vision of my dream vanished, turning into nothing but a memory. There was something wrong, I could tell that.

"Hey! He's awake!" Axel was leaning over me, and I could feel one of his hands on the back of my head, the other holding my hand, which was resting on my stomach. I groaned, trying to sit up, not sure what was going on. Axel, however, didn't let me get up.

"Whoa! You just fainted. You shouldn't be getting up."

"Fainted?" I actually managed to sit up this time, despite Axel trying to keep me down, and I looked around. I was in the entryway of an apartment; Sora and Axel's apartment. Things were spinning all around me, but I could still make out the familiar layout of the apartment from where I was sitting. Sora wasn't far away from me, and he held a phone in his hand, like he had been about to call someone. The worried expression on his face let me know that I really had passed out, or something along those lines.

"Yeah, you just collapsed a few minutes ago. Sora was about to call an ambulance," Axel said, placing a hand over my forehead, probably to see if I had a fever. "I told him it was pointless, and that passing out wasn't that big of a deal, but..."

"Why the hell would that happen to me?" I asked. My voice was slurred, and everything seemed to bring about a huge headache.

"You had a panic attack," Axel said quietly.

"Panic attack? What the hell-"

"Whatever happened with your parents seemed to strike home with you. I guess that the fact you had trouble breathing caused you to faint. Probably not used to having panic attacks."

"No shit, I've never had one before. I don't even really know what they are." I'd heard of them, of course, but no one bothered to explain to me what they were. I assumed it was when you panicked, and something bad happened...

"Panic attacks are weird. They differ for everyone, but I assumed you were having trouble breathing? And I could see you shaking. Those are common symptoms. Whatever your parents said to you really freaked you out though." Oh, so it's basically what I thought it was. Panicking so much something bad happens. Wonderful.

Maybe my parents lying to me for nineteen years really did bug me. Well, of course it bugged me, but I was just acting like it wasn't. I probably should have said something to my parents, or someone, rather than just freak out my boyfriend by passing out. Just for future reference.

Suddenly, the wave of dizziness came back. I groaned and leaned against Axel's chest.

"Ugh, I feel like shit," I muttered, closing my eyes.

"Yeah, you will. Come on, let's get you to my room so you can lie down."

* * *

_"Mom! Come on, we're going to be late!" _

_ "Calm down, Roxas. I'm going as fast as I can." _

_ "Well, move faster!"_

_ "Roxas..."_

_ The little seven year old boy looked down at his feet, recognizing the warning tone his mother had. _

_ "I'm sorry," he said. "But Hayner said it was going to start at two, and it's almost two!"_

_ "I know, I know," the boy's mother said, kneeling down. She placed a hand on his shoulder and continued to speak. "But you have to be patient. Patience is a good virtue to have."_

_ A grin suddenly on the boy's face, he looked up and said, "Okay!" Then paused for a moment, looking confused. "Wait, what's a virtue?"_

_ The mom laughed. "A virtue is a good behavior a person has."_

_ "Oh." It was obvious the boy didn't really understand, but his mom let it go, patting him on the head. _

_ "Come on, sweetie. Let's go."_

* * *

_ Sitting in the principal's office, Roxas looked as though he'd walked on death's doorstep. His blond hair was dirty and messed up, his clothing, ripped and muddy, and there were bruises all over his face and arms. Sitting in the chair next to him was the boy's best friend; Hayner Mural. He too looked like a fight had just taken place._

_ "Boys, will you please tell me what happened? You're not in any trouble, we just want to know what happened," the principal said, her voice pleading. However, neither boy said anything. They only exchanged a quick glance, then looked back at the woman. "Boys..."_

_ "Mrs. Beatrix, Roxas Strife's mother is here." _

_ "Alright, send her in."_

_ The door opened, and in walked a medium height, black haired woman. Tifa Strife, Roxas' mom. _

_ "Hello, Mrs. Strife. Thank you for coming here. I think your son needs to go home for now."_

_ "Alright, thank you," Tifa said. She glanced down at Roxas, who had an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. "Come on, Roxas." Her son stood up and followed her out of the office. Neither of them spoke as they walked out of the school, even though middle school students from all three grades were coming out of classrooms to watch. _

_ Everyone knew Roxas Strife, even if the boy didn't know that. He was the most sought after eighth grade guy in his middle school. No other guy was as good looking as him, according to the girls, he was also very nice to them, and had this kind of innocence that made them want to be around him._

_ However, this brought anger from the guys in the school who were interested in girls._

_ "Roxas, why did you get in a fight with that boy?" Tifa eventually asked after the two had made it out of the school and to the parking lot. Roxas shook his head. "I need you to tell me..."_

_ "No. It's not that big a deal."_

_ "Yes it is. You can't just do that."_

_ "I said it's not that big of a deal!"_

_ "Roxas, don't lie to me. You're clearly upset."_

_ "Oh, like you never lie."_

_ "I don't to you."_

Yeah right.

* * *

I don't remember falling asleep. I remember the dreams, but I don't remember falling asleep. Maybe I passed out again? Though, I figured if that was so, then I would have woken up in a hospital bed, not in Axel's.

"Hey, sleepy head's finally awake. How're you feeling?" Axel was sitting next to me when I opened my eyes, smiling. Why was he smiling? Did he have to smile at me when I had a splitting headache?

"What do you want?" I snapped, rolling onto my side so I didn't face him. "I want to sleep."

"You've been asleep for almost seventy hours, Roxas, I think you should be waking up now," Axel said, pulling my shoulder down so I was on my back again. I glared at him, not believing his words. There was no way I'd been asleep for almost three days. It just wasn't humanely possible for me to sleep for that long without waking up at least once or twice, and I didn't wake up at all. Or, I don't remember waking up.

"Yeah right. Go away-" I was shut up when he kissed me. It pissed me off when he did that. "Oi, was the really necessary," I muttered when he pulled away.

"I haven't been able to kiss you for three days. It was completely necessary."

"Oh."

So, he wasn't lying. I'd really been asleep for three days, and I still felt absolutely horrible. I guess what Mom told me really did have a nasty effect on me. Maybe that's why I had those dreams. The first one about my "virtues" and "behaviors," and the other about being honest. She had been a hypocrite those days, when she told me that I shouldn't lie to her... It really angered me.

"So, what exactly happened with your parents? Why are you-"

"They've been lying to me all my life."

"What?"

I shook my head and sat up, using Axel's shoulder to help me. "Everything about who they were before I was born... they lied about it. My mom never went to college, she lived in Hallow Bastion for eight years! Not only that, but she and my dad have known each other all their lives. She lied to me! She fucking lied to me!"

My voice was shaky and hoarse. I really wished it wasn't, and that it would just be normal, because Axel noticed. And he became worried.

"Okay, okay, calm down, no need to freak out, take a deep breath, come on."

Obviously he thought I was going to have another panic attack. I wasn't, of course. I wasn't having any trouble breathing, and other than a headache, I felt perfectly fine. Well, physically, anyway. Emotionally I felt like I was going to die in a hole.

I was never, _ever_ going to tell Axel that.

"I'm fine. I... I'm just pissed and confused," I eventually said. "You don't need to worry."

"You can tell me that, but I'm still going to worry," Axel said, rolling his eyes. "Now. You've been asleep for three days, so you're probably hungry." As he said this, I felt my stomach rumble and I blushed. Yeah, I was hungry.

* * *

"I don't think you should do this...," Axel muttered. "You're just going to become more upset, and you're probably not going to like what you hear-"

"I just want to know what's going on." I wished he would just shut up. The only thing he needed to do was drive me to Hallow Bastion, so I could look for them. For my mom's gang. Or, that's what I was calling them. She said they were like a gang, so that's what I decided they were going to be called.

Axel had been bitching about me doing this since I mentioned it earlier today. He kept saying that I was being irrational, and it would be better to talk to my mom before hand, but if I talked to her, she could do something to change my mind.

I didn't want to change my mind.

"Roxie, do you honestly think you should be doing something so irrational like this? You're going to the slums of Hallow Bastion. This place is the worst of the worst. You could be killed just walking down the street," Axel warned, stopping his car. "At least let me come with you-"

"Fuck off, Axel," I muttered, opening the door. Slamming the door before he could reply, I began to stalk off, hoping he would just drive off. He didn't.

"Roxas! Wait!" Instead, he got out of his car and began to follow me like some kind of stalker. "I'm going to come with you, alright?"

I turned to face him as soon as I could, causing him to stop short and cross his arms. The two of us just stared at each other for a minute or two, not saying anything. Finally, I sighed and shook my head.

"Look, I get that you think I'm in danger here, but I'm not going to be here for very long. You just go back to Radiant Garden. I think Sora might destroy your house if you stay down here for very long." Obviously, Axel was not going to listen to my reasoning. As soon as I finished speaking, he grabbed my shoulders and gave me a serious look.

"Roxas, you're an idiot." I tried to protest that but he continued talking before I could say much. "I love you, but you're not very smart when it comes to running around on the streets. I know more about this than you do so-"

I shoved off his arms and backed away.

"Oh, yeah, you and your genius brain. I think I'll be fine." As I turned to leave, I realized there was someone standing directly behind me, arms crossed. I had to stop short to avoid crashing into him. Glancing up at his face, I immediately recognized him.

It was the weird ass guy from a few days ago, Vincent.

"Come with me," was all he said before turning away. I looked around, not sure how the hell he found me and why he wanted me to come with him. Maybe he knew I was coming down here and he had been waiting for me. Actually, it would make more sense if he had been stalking me for the past few days, which would explain the creepy feeling I got.

I really hope he hadn't been watching me. That would just be fucking creepy...

"Roxas..." Axel's distraught voice sounded behind me. All I could do was turn around and wave goodbye to him

"I'll be fine. Go home."

So I followed Vincent, hoping desperately that Axel wouldn't follow me. When I heard the car engine turn on, I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he'd finally complied to my wishes.

All of my focus turned to the man walking in front of me.

I had to jog to keep up to the weirdo, so I was out of breath when I finally managed to ask, "Where are we going?" He didn't reply. "Hey, I asked you a question!"

"Don't talk."

Okay, I think Mom had a thing for dark non-social guys. That would explain why she fell in love with Dad, and also why she got along so well with this creepy man.

So, the two of us walked for quite a while, starting on the open road, then eventually turning onto back streets, and alleys. Even though it was the middle of the day, it seemed like midnight. No light at all, and the air was thick and disgusting; I felt like I was in a sewer. How could anyone live there?

Before long, Vincent led me to a tall, wooden door, one the looked about a hundred years old and had strange markings on it. I didn't understand what they meant, but I had a feeling it had something to do with the people who lived behind it. Some kind of code, or something. I asked Vincent what it was when he opened the door, but I was dutifully ignored. It was really getting on my nerves how quiet this guy was.

"Hello? Are you even alive in there?" I eventually asked, overwhelmed by my irritation. I could see him roll his ruby eyes before he turned around.

"I can see how you're related to Tifa," he growled. "Never knowing when to shut your mouth." Anger flowed through me, and I opened my mouth to speak, but he turned and stalked off into the dark hall before I could say anything.

Grumbling, I followed him.

Then, the weirdest thing happened.

I crashed into a door.

The guy was gone, and I was standing in front of a newer looking door, in the dark, with no idea where I was. Some people are just so rude.

I could see a light peeking out from under the door frame, so I decided it was worth opening the door to see what was behind it. If the situation hadn't been so fucking terrifying, I probably would have started humming some random theme song to a spy movie or something like that. That's how cliché the whole thing was.

The door made no sound as it opened, but the sound bursting from the other side was deafening.

"It's not fucking funny Zack! Give it back dammit!"

"What's the magic word?"

"Do you want to die?"

"Hm... that works."

I was stunned.

Two people, both in their forties at least, were standing in the middle of the room. They both had black hair, but one had really blue eyes, like, Dad's color, and the other had brown, and was shorter. This female was wearing clothes fit for some kind of ninja, and she was holding out her hand expectantly to the guy, Zack. He just wore regular jeans and a t-shirt, which I might add had blood stains on it. I don't know what they were arguing about, but whatever it was, they'd pretty much demolished the room for it.

I wanted to disappear, but before I could, the guy saw me out of the corner of his eye, and he turned. I laughed nervously, and began to back away, startled by how dangerous this guy seemed.

But he had other plans.

"Holy shit! You must be Roxas!"

The next thing I knew, I was being dragged into the room, where three other people I didn't recognize were. Of course, I didn't care about them. I was more curious as to how this guy knew my name.

"Roxas? Tifa's son?" a kind, gentle voice asked from the other side of the room. I glanced over there, and sitting at a makeshift table was a woman with brown hair that was held up with a pink ribbon, and blue eyes. She was rather pretty, I had to admit, but she had this motherly tone about her that was somewhat overwhelming.

"Of course it's her son! Why else would he be down here," Zack asked, ruffling my hair. "I doubt Seifer would be stupid enough to send such a scrawny, pathetic boy down here to try and kill us all."

_Uh... okay then._

This guy was really freaking me out. He was the exact opposite of my father, and he acted like he was five or something. I mean, how many middle aged men had _that much energy_! It was ridiculous. Plus, he was looking at the woman who'd spoken earlier endearingly, so I assumed she was his wife, Aerith. She seemed too nice to deal with this weirdo.

"Let him go, Zack, you're going to scare him away," the woman Zack was arguing with earlier said. Zack let me go and grinned.

"Fine, take away my fun. You can be such a buzz kill sometimes, Yuffie."

It was like these people never had to grow up!

I'd probably lost my voice before that, and I finally got it back when I noticed two people, probably Ellie's age, watching me curiously.

"Yeah, my mom's Tifa." It was a little bit of delayed reply, but...

"Then she must have told you the truth," Aerith muttered. Though her voice was quiet, I could still hear the sadness in her voice. "It must have been so hard for her to tell you." Silence fell across the room for a moment, but it was interrupted by Aerith again. "Would you like something to drink?"

I shook my head. "No. I just... just wanted to see this place."

"Excellent, I'll make tea." I gave Aerith a disbelieving look as she stood up and hurried over to the small kitchen I hadn't noticed before. She just ignored what I said! "I think tea's the best when you need to have a talk."

But, I didn't want to talk. I tried to say this, but Zack clapped me on the back.

"No use arguing, son. She wants to talk to you."

* * *

The two of us were alone in a small side room. The sound from the others was loud enough that we could hear it, but quiet enough that I couldn't really make out what any of them were saying. Like a restaurant of some kind, only homier. And scarier.

Interesting combination

"So, you're nineteen, right?" Aerith asked me suddenly, breaking the lingering silence between the two of us. I nodded, and she laughed. "I can't believe it's been twenty-four years since Tifa disappeared from here." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "We all thought she was dead at first. Seifer does hate her, after all."

"Who's Seifer?" I asked.

"He's the leader of SeeD, and the one who ordered Tifa to be killed."

I leaned back in my chair. This was all really weird. This woman was supposedly my god-mother who's never met me before, but she didn't seem surprised to see me, and she recognized me, and she was talking to me like there was nothing weird about this whole thing. It was a bit freaky. Zack too was like that. Acting like he'd known me for such a long time, even though I'd never met him before.

"Roxas, what do you want to ask me?"

I looked at the woman, somewhat startled, but answered anyway. "I want to know why Mom would lie to me about all of this for my whole life."

Aerith smiled. "I can't answer that for her. She has her reasons, Roxas. Just as she has her reasons for not wanting you and that boy, Axel, to be in a relationship."

Okay, that was freaky. "W-What do you mean?" I asked. "How the hell-"

"She talks to me, Roxas. She's told me all about you, and how she's worried about things, and she's so scared that you'll hate her, Roxas. She thinks that her only child, her only son, will hate her. She's afraid."

"So? Doesn't give her the right to lie to me! Or tell me she can't accept me dating a guy I really like!"

When she laughed, I wanted to leave the room right then, but there was something about the situation that kept me there. "Roxas," she said after a while, "when you're older, you may understand more what's going on in your mom's head, but I doubt you ever will. The things she's gone through... well, you will never even begin to understand the kinds of pain she's felt."

"And you do?"

I didn't mean for that question to sound harsh. I was more irritated at my mom than this woman, but I guess it just came from me instead. Aerith, however, didn't seem to care.

"Everyone here, Roxas, has suffered some kind of pain." Her hands moved slowly to her stomach, caressing it gently. "Even I have felt a pain that very few would ever be able to understand." I didn't quite get what she meant by that, but I didn't have long to ponder it. "We're a family here. Every one of us has our part to play, our sorrows to hold, our family to love."

I looked down at my hands, not sure what to say.

"Roxas," Zack's voice said from behind me. I jumped and turned to look at him. "You're welcome here any time, okay? But right now, I think you have a mother you need to talk to."

"Okay."


	34. STUF

**I'm too lazy to come up with another author's note... sorry XD**

**Please enjoy this chapter, review, and I'll hopefully have a better sense of mind next week XD**

**I'll answer reviews in the next chapter.  
**

**~Sunechirei  
**

**Full Chapter Title: STUF**

* * *

I'd been avoiding everyone but Axel and Sora, really, and the only reason I talked to them is because I was currently living with them.

It'd been almost a week since my little journey to Hallow Bastion, but I didn't have the nerve to talk to my mom. Axel told me it was fine, but Sora said I was being a baby and should just get the talk over with.

I punched him for that.

Or, tried to, but he grabbed my wrist and flipped me on my back, muttering under his breath about weaklings. I wasn't happy with him about that. But I suppose he had every reason in the world to be pissed. He and Riku had gotten into a fight a few days back, and I mean a really bad fight. Sora still had bruises all over his face, and Axel told me that Riku looked about the same.

No one actually knew what they'd gotten into a fight about, but the two of them were avoiding each other at all costs, and refused to speak. Or, that's what Axel said. I didn't actually know, as I'd been ditching work for the past week, but I did figure out that if you mentioned Riku's name in front of Sora, you nearly got killed.

I made that mistake one day.

If Axel hadn't been there, I would probably be a pile of dust right now.

Thank God for over protective boyfriends.

Anyway, I really didn't want to have that one conversation that everyone was begging me to have with my stupid mother. I guess I was still pissed at her for both lying, and saying she couldn't accept me dating Axel. But in a way, there was this underlying feeling of fear. She was probably going to tell me something I really didn't want to hear.

So, I convinced myself that I didn't need to talk to her, and I could live the rest of my life never seeing her again. It was the best thing I could do so I wouldn't do anything rash.

And yet, after a week, I was standing in my parent's house, outside the living room, trying to force my hand to open the frikin' door.

Why was I standing there?

Because Sora was fucking scary when he was pissed.

I had been doing absolutely _nothing_ wrong when he suddenly came storming into the kitchen, grabbed me by the collar, and dragged me to the doorway. When I asked him what the hell he was doing and what he wanted, he screamed, "STUF!"

That's right, "STUF." I thought he meant, "STFU," you know, "shut the fuck up," but no. He meant what he said. "Shut the up fuck."

I don't know either.

But, before I could ask Sora if he'd gone insane or something, he shoved me out the front door.

"You, Roxas, have become a selfish, lazy ass, baby who needs to fucking grow up. Get the hell out of here and go talk to your goddamn mother before I fucking murder you!" He had yelled this at me before slamming the door in my face. I honestly think he was just taking his anger at Riku out on me, because honestly I'd done nothing to him at all. I stayed out of his way, I only really talked to Axel, and he didn't seem to mind my being there at all until he got the crap beaten out of him by Riku.

I still wanted to know what they were fighting about.

But yeah, that's how I ended up outside of the living room in my house.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to the room and low and behold, my mother was sitting at the piano, writing a few notes on a piece of music. She didn't seem to hear me when I walked in, as she plucked at the keys for a moment, testing a small tune I vaguely recognized. It was something she used to play for me when I was little.

"Mom?"

Instantly, the music stopped. Mom looked up at me, eyes wide with surprise. I smiled hesitantly and waved.

"Roxas? I thought... I didn't think... I-"

"You were convinced I would never come back and I didn't want to talk to you?" She nodded slowly. "Well, I do feel that way, but..." I trailed off and looked down at my feet. It wasn't until I heard Mom's footsteps right next to me that I looked up again. She had a sad look in her eye, but at the same time, a smile on her face.

"I wonder... I wonder when it was you stopped being my little boy," she muttered. "You've grown up so much, Roxas. I didn't even realize that until a few months ago when I saw you here with Axel, right before Naminé left. But even then I didn't want to admit that my baby had grown up."

I was speechless as Mom reached up her arms and wrapped them around my neck, pulling me into a hug.

"I have so much trouble letting things go."

I pushed her away.

"Mom, I really want to know why you didn't tell me. Why, for nineteen years you lied to me, and Dad, for that matter." I think it was about then that I made the connection. All of their arguments, and Mom's secrets. Dad knew she was keeping them, and he wanted her to tell him. That's why they had been fighting a lot.

She said nothing, only moving to the couch and sitting on it. I watched quietly and she beckoned for me to join her. I sighed and sat in one of the reclining chairs across from the couch.

"Roxas, do you know what it was like for me, to keep that secret from both of you?"

I wanted to say yes, just to piss her off, but Aerith's words kept my mouth shut.

_"The things she's gone through... well, you will never even begin to understand the kinds of pain she's felt."_

"No. I don't."

"It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Aerith and Zack are like the parents I lost that day... I couldn't just let them go. I couldn't lose another piece of my family, but Cloud wanted me to. In a way he was being selfish, wanting me to let go of everything I had during those eight years, but that's just who he is."

I had to laugh a little bit. "Aren't you the one who was being selfish by wanting to see them?"

"Yes, in a way. But they were my family, Roxas. I had no one else but them, them and Cloud. You understand, don't you? Having a relationship that a person close to you doesn't want you to have?"

Bowing my head, I nodded slightly, and suddenly, I understood her more. Even if she never approved, and if Hayner never talked to me again, I would still want to be with Axel. That must be how she felt.

"But why did you lie to me about what happened?" I asked, clenching my fists. This was the one question I'd been wanting an answer to. Sure, knowing why she "couldn't accept" me being with Axel was up there, but not the top. Not right then.

"Nineteen years ago," she said, "when you were born, I decided that I didn't want you to know how much of a weakling I was. I didn't want my son to know that I'd been too pathetic to deal with my life. I wanted to be a good example for you, like your father was. All the stuff that's happened to me..." her voice cracked slightly, and I could see tears forming in her eyes. "I didn't want you to hate me. So I promised myself, and I made Cloud promise as well, that we wouldn't tell you anything, that we would raise you to think that we were normal."

I wanted to speak, but it seemed Mom had only finished a small bit of what she wanted to say.

"Every day you were growing up, I was afraid that you would someday find out the truth, and I debated telling, but something kept me back. I thought that if I told you, then something bad would happen. Maybe you would seek out your god-parents and get hurt, or... I don't even know. But soon, even just thinking of telling you would strike fear in my heart, and I couldn't. I should have. I know I should have, but I couldn't. I'm so sorry, Roxas."

Her tears kept her from saying anything else, so I decided it was time for me to step in, and say, "It's okay, Mom." I guess my saying this made her feel relief, because she started laughing. I still felt somewhat betrayed, but I also had this nagging guilt in my gut. Mom had her own issues, her own demons, and it wasn't my place to demand that she tell them all to me.

I was glad it was out in the open, though, but now that just left one more thing to deal with.

"What about me and Axel? Why did you say you couldn't accept us." Her answer to this wasn't immediate. In fact, I think it was a couple of minutes before she finally did say anything.

"I don't actually know," she said slowly, looking away from me. "I guess I was in denial that my only son could be in love with another man. I mean, I always knew, but I thought that maybe it was just a fling, and that it wouldn't be serious, but it's been six months now... and you told me, to my face." So, she was just being a weirdo... yeah, that made sense. "Then, when I thought about it more, I kept thinking that Axel wasn't right for you. I don't know why it was, but there's just something about him that makes me thinks you'll only get hurt in the end."

"I'm not going to get hurt," I suddenly protested, standing up. "And even if I do, then that's my issue, not yours!"

"You're right. Which is why I'm telling you this now: Good luck, Roxas. I hope you and Axel are really happy together."

I froze. She was accepting this? Everything was turning out well all of a sudden, and it made me happy. But then there was something else I had to do, something I just decided I needed to do. Maybe it was because I was a bit hurt, or because the past week had probably been the most fun I'd had in a long time.

"Mom, I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it, Roxas?" She sounded so fearful, and I knew this wasn't going to make her very happy. But, I had to do this.

"I'm going to move out."


	35. You can never go home again

**Okay, so I started working on the AN when I got this chapter earlier today, but guess who got distracted :D **

**... Too many reviews... can't... reply... *dies of shock***

**Sorry, but I'm not going to reply to reviews in this AN. I want this done and over with so I can work on my original story which I finally got inspiration for. Sorry ;P **

**Basically, sorry for the cliffie (you get another one this chapter), yes, it's awesome Roxas is finally moving out, you'll find out what Riku and Sora are fighting about eventually, some of you reviewers are starting to freak me out O.O, and you're welcome for the two updates. (I still love you all, but sometimes I wonder if you guys are... um... sane. Then I remember you're reading my fanfiction and I realize you can't be sane XD (It's okay, I'm not either.))**

**So, people keep saying to keep writing... which is weird... because I haven't written in this story since the middle of May... because it's done. There's no need for you guys to tell me to keep writing... just an observation.**

**Anyway, enjoy, review, check out the poll (please) and I'll see you guys next week.**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: You can never go home again, but the truth is, you can never leave home**

* * *

Okay, looking for an apartment is a hell of a lot harder than I thought it would be.

I mean, sure, it should be one of the easiest things in the world for a rich nineteen year old living in Radiant Garden, but no. It's not. It's so difficult it makes me sick. So I decided to bring Axel along with me, so he could do all the smart stuff that I can't do, and I could just be lazy. Hooray for genius people...

"You really don't know much about the real world, do you?"

And he was making fun of me. Wonderful. Here I was, desperate for help, and I was being made fun of. It wasn't my fault that I was never taught anything about living on my own. I bet my mom was so surprised when I told her I was planning on moving out, even though she didn't act like it. I bet she wanted me to live at home for the rest of my life.

Yeah, like I was going to do that.

"Well, unlike you, I haven't had a reason to learn this crap," I said, then immediately regretted it. Axel would probably take that as I never wanted to move out and I was planning to live at home for the rest of my life. It wasn't true. Kinda.

"You're so pathetic, Roxie," he muttered, picking at the food we'd stopped to get.

"Yeah, well, you obviously don't care or you wouldn't be going out with me, would you?" I snapped. He was such a jerk sometimes, and it honestly pissed my off, but what could I do? It was just his personality. I'm sure I had weird ass quirks that Axel had to deal with every day...

"Oh, how right you are, Roxie." There was something suggestive about his voice that kinda freaked me out. I was so glad we were in the middle of a crowded area, otherwise he probably would have done something to me, and really, I was in no mood to deal with his flirting.

I needed to find a place to live.

Being homeless would suck.

"You know," Axel said suddenly, "you _could_ just live with me. It would be a hell of a lot easier and-"

"Sora scares the shit out of me right now. I want my own place," I told him simply. Sora was still... being... um... bitchy. I guess that's the best way to put it. Even though it'd been a week since his fight with Riku, the two of them were still having major issues. Work was pretty much hell when the two of them were in the same room, and more than once, Kairi had to yell at them. There was even a time when Sora walked out on her.

She looked so sad when it happened...

None of us knew what was going on still, but Kairi told me that the only other time she'd seem them this mad was right before Riku left Destiny Island after graduating a year early. He was so depressed, she said, that Sora thought he was going to commit suicide.

Instead he just left the island and had almost no communication with them for two years.

Man, my friends had some weird ass issues.

Still have them, actually. I guess they've just gotten better at hiding them. Or I'm oblivious. Axel says I am, but I think he's just upset that it took me so long to figure out he liked me, and even longer to figure out _I_ liked _him_.

"Sora can just-" Axel started to say, bringing me out of my thoughts, but I shut him up by throwing some fries at him.

"Shut up, Axel. Sora should be allowed to have his issues."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Oh, you think he doesn't deserve our sympathy?"

"Well, if he would _tell _us what was going on, it would be easier to be sympathetic."

"You know, you were so nice to me, but not to Sora-"

"Because you're my boyfriend. Sora's just... well, him."

"So?"

I was glaring at Axel by this point. He was acting like such a bastard, and that normally didn't happen. Usually I was the one being a complete and total jack ass, but not today. It was weird.

"Look, Roxie, you don't understand. I don't think Sora _wants_ us to get in his business. So, I'm just going to let it go," Axel finally told me, sighing. "Sure, I want to know, but unlike you, it's not actually my problem."

"You consider my problems, your problems?"

"Uh, yeah." He made it sound like it was an obvious thing. I didn't think it was obvious at all. "But that's not important. You need to stop being all indecisive and choose where the hell you want to get an apartment if you're going to refuse to live with me."

"It's not _you_ I'm refusing to live with..." I muttered. "But fine. What are we going to-"

"Roxas?" I glanced behind me, confused as to who was calling my name, and why. It wasn't a voice I really recognized, but it was somewhat familiar. Weird. I don't even know how to explain the whole thing.

Standing there were two guys, one who seemed like another regular person, but the shorter guy standing next to him was creepily familiar. Why was he so familiar? Because he looked exactly like me. Same height, same hair color, same eyes... It was creepy. Beyond that.

I could tell Axel was having the same reaction I was. I mean, how couldn't he?

"You're Roxas, right?" It was the taller, brown haired guy who was talking to me. Slowly, I nodded.

"Yeah. I am. Who are you?"

"Terra. And this is Ven," he said, gesturing first to himself, then to the guy who looked exactly like me. "Man, Ellie wasn't kidding when she said you guys were like twins." Wait, Ellie? These guys knew Ellie? Which meant she knew what I looked like before she met me. What the hell?

Axel snorted from behind me, and I turned to him. "_You're _Terra?" His voice was low and dangerous. "You're the guy who tried to kill my best friend?"

Wait, what?

Ellie was Axel's best friend, right? And these guys knew Ellie, so obviously that's who Axel was talking about, but it still didn't make sense. This guy tried to kill Ellie? Someone dared try and kill that hard-ass lawyer who made me want to stay home from work sometimes she was so scary. This guy tried to kill her?

It just didn't make any sense.

"And you must be Axel, Ellie's bitchy cousin," Terra retorted, smirking. "I didn't mean to do that. It was an accident."

"Yeah, an accident. That's why you came at her with a knife for no reason and sent her to the hospital with slashes all over her stomach, and a shallow stab wound."

Okay, this information was something I wasn't expecting to hear. Ven too looked somewhat shocked. But it was kinda funny, even though the topic wasn't at all. Seeing Axel, glaring at this guy, Terra, in the middle of some weird kind of porch where we were sitting. The tension was just so awkward that I wanted to burst into laughter. I didn't, though.

Ven, however, did.

"Okay, um... that was a while ago, and now Ellie's fine, and you're no longer crazy, so it's all good, right?" He said through his laughter. "So, let's not get into a fight, because I don't think Ellie would like it if that happened."

Axel just snorted again and crossed his arms.

"What are you two doing here? I thought you lived far away from here."

"Unlike you," Terra snapped, "I actually have a life. And it's none of your business." Then he called Axel something that I don't even want to repeat, but let's just say it caused Axel to nearly tackle the guy, and Ven to hit his friend in the shoulder.

I didn't realize that Ellie could be friends with someone so horrible. There could be no way that this guy was that much different than before, so she probably knew... that may have been the reason she stopped being friends with the guy. I mean, if they weren't friends anymore. Either that, or it would be because he tried to kill her.

Maybe Axel would know which would be worse to her.

"Okay," Ven laughed, pushing Terra away, "I think we should get going now." He bowed at Axel. "I'm so sorry. He's still a little off from his meds and-"

"I'll only leave if Roxas comes with us."

"...What?" I didn't want to leave, and I'm sure Axel didn't want me to either. I didn't even know this guy, and he wanted me to go with him for some odd reason. To think this had started out as a nice, wonderful outing with my boyfriend, looking for a place for me to live.

I still think life hates me.

"Yeah. Roxas needs to come with us. Otherwise I'm not going to leave and I'm just going to bug the two of you as you're going about your wonderful business."

Ven looked horrified.

"Terra," he hissed, "stop this. Let's just go. It's not that big of a deal-"

"No! I want to know why Ellie's so set on staying in this place, and what better way than to hang out with the guy she's going to be working for?"

What was this guy's problem? Did he have other issues other than insanity? Maybe the meds Ven mentioned earlier caused him to act like some kind of freak. That would make a hell of a lot of sense.

Well, whatever it was, I didn't want to hang out with him.

"Look, I'm busy," I told him eventually. "I'm not going to hang out with you because you have some weird ass obsession with Ellie. You can go away now." I glanced over at Axel and he looked happy about what I was saying.

"Nope. You're coming with me, whether you like it or not," Terra threatened, getting this look in his eyes. Really, I had no choice but to agree. If this guy really had hurt Ellie as much as Axel said, then chances are I was screwed. My mom may be a good fighter (or... was. I don't know if she still is), but I fail at it. Sora can beat me up without even breaking a sweat... this guy could probably kill me in a few seconds.

So, despite Axel's protests, I stood up. Glaring viciously at Terra, I said, "Fine." He looked extremely happy to hear this. However, I wasn't done. "But you'd better have a fucking excellent reason for this."

* * *

He didn't have a good reason.

He didn't even _have_ a reason other than to figure out more about why Ellie wouldn't talk to him.

Freak.

How hard could it be to even come up with a lame, fake reason for why he dragged me away from Axel while the two of us were busy? I could have done it easily, but this guy... I swear, some people are just so rude and annoying.

Ven wasn't that bad, though. It turned out that the two of us actually had a lot in common besides how we looked. Kinda.

"Jeeze! How many orphans are there in this city?" That was my reaction when I found out Ven didn't know who his parents were, or even if they were alive. First Axel, then Ellie, then Kairi then my mom and now this guy? It was like they were attracted to me or something weird like that.

"A lot, Roxas. Not everyone has a nice life like you do," Ven told me as we waited for Terra to come back. He'd run off, saying he had to do something and that we should wait for him. Honestly, I just wanted to leave, get away from the weirdo, you know, but I'd feel bad just running off from Ven. He was a really nice guy. I think people thought we were twins though, even though he's about seven years older than I am. Like Axel.

I let out a sudden sigh at the thought of Axel, wishing he was here with us. I didn't want to leave him at all, but Terra just looked so scary...

"You okay?" Ven asked. I just laughed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something." Someone, more like, but I couldn't tell him that. An awkward silence fell over us, and I became desperate to find a reason to start a conversation, but I really had nothing to talk about. Well, that's not true. I had a shit ton of questions for this guy about why Terra was so weird, but I was too scared to ask anything.

"Where's Terra?" Ven finally muttered, glancing around the busy train center. "He's been gone awhile." He talked about him like he was some kind of older brother. But if this guy was really insane, then why would he...

"What was Axel talking about earlier," I asked suddenly, not sure where my boldness came from. "Why did he say Terra tried to kill Ellie? And... um... why does he act so weird?" I was completely convinced Ven was going to kill me for asking this. He didn't have a dangerous feeling to him, but if he was anything at all like Terra, then it could come on in an instant. But, he just laughed.

"Terra's family has a history of mental issues. When he was nineteen, a year after he started dating Ellie-" He dated Ellie? What the hell? I had no idea what to think about this... "-he had a... well, they called it a psychotic break, but they really don't know what happened. Turns out he's schizophrenic."

…. I was hanging out with a guy who had some kind of mental disorder? Fun.

Not.

This was getting nuts. Sure, Ven was nice, but dealing with crazy people isn't really my forte. Sure, Axel's a bit nuts, but at least I know how to handle his nonsense now. Same with Sora (Riku, Ellie, and Kairi, not so much), but this guy was actually diagnosed with as a crazy person. Sora and Axel were just weird.

"So... he's a psycho... that would explain why Axel didn't like him," I mused, leaning against the wall. "But then why do you hang around him? And that Aqua chick you guys were talking about. From what I gathered, she's taking care of Terra, right?"

"Yeah..." Ven said in a small voice. "Ellie doesn't get it either. That's why she won't talk to any of us. He tried to kill her, and yet neither Aqua or I blame him. We actually continue to be his friends."

"But why? Wasn't Ellie your friend as well?"

"Terra wasn't always insane," he explained. "Aqua and I grew up with him, and we know a side of him that Ellie only caught a glimpse of. Neither of us are really willing to admit that Terra's dangerous, even though we're both well aware of this fact." He sounded serious, but it didn't make any sense to me. They knew he was dangerous, and yet they continued to hang around him because he wasn't in the past...

Didn't the two of them realize that the Terra they knew before was technically gone?

Noticing my confusion, Ven started laughing. "Like I said, Ellie doesn't get it either. Even though she's really smart, she doesn't understand certain kinds of relationships. The only one she's ever really had has been with that Axel guy back there."

"And Riku," I said, remembering how the two of them acted around each other outside of work.

"Riku? That silver-haired guy Aqua said Ellie was going out with?"

I nodded, then realized that Ven had met Riku before.

"Wait, when did you meet him?" I doubted Ellie described Riku as a silver-haired guy to her friends... that didn't seem to be the kind of person she was.

"I think you were in the hospital or something. You and Axel weren't there, but Aqua, Terra and I went to visit Ellie at her work one day." He looked down cast at the thought. "I got made fun of by that hyper brown-haired guy... uh..."

"Sora?"

"Yeah!"

Why wasn't I told about this? I mean, surely three random people showing up at my work while I was in the hospital and causing some kind of ruckus would be a thing I had to deal with, right? Or, was at least something I should have been told about.

I silently declared to interrogate Ellie about this later.

"Man, Terra's been gone a really long time!" Ven sounded really worried, like he thought Terra was going to kill someone or something. I didn't put it past that guy. He looked kinda pissed when he walked off, even though he always looked pissed.

"Maybe-" I started to say, trying to think of some reason why he would have just taken off like that, but a voice interrupted me.

"What's your last name, boy?" I turned, surprised, and saw a really, really, really, really, really, really, _really_ tall guy with long silver hair. He had this haughty, "I'm a hell of a lot better than anyone here," look to him that made me think of Axel. Only, Axel was less freaky looking than this guy.

"Um... none of your business," I told him, glancing at Ven, who shrugged.

"Is it Strife?"

Okay, that wasn't creepy at all. Not many people recognized me by my last name.

"Why?" I asked, becoming curious.

The man smiled. "Is your father Cloud Strife?" I didn't answer, which kind of seemed to piss him off. "I take that as a yes," he snapped. "Well, my name's Sephiroth. Sephiroth_ Strife,_ and I'm your uncle."

This guy must have just been joking around with me, because there was no way I had an uncle. Dad always told me he was an only child and his parents died a long time ago.

"Anyway, I haven't seen my precious little brother in a long time, and I really miss him. Would you kindly take me to your house so I could talk to him again?"

Um... What?


	36. Families are like fudge

**I am a lazy son of a bitch... even though I'm female...**

**Anyway... reviewers, thanks. Three things that pretty much cover all the reviews I got: It makes me so happy that no one was expecting Sephiroth to be Roxas' uncle :P, also, there's a very good reason Roxas was never told about his uncle, and finally, my plotting never ends. Never. The things I have written out for these people, and the things I have planned are absolutely... well, :) Oh, and I think I wrap everything up quite nicely.**

**So, this is only being posted because I feel bad for leaving you guys with a cliff hanger... I'm still on an internet break... I'm getting a lot of writing done though :D Kinda... :D**

**Because I'm a lazy person, I'm not going to say anything else... maybe at the end, but...**

**As always, enjoy, review, and thanks for reading!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: Families are like fudge: mostly sweet with a few nuts mixed in**

* * *

"Anyway, I haven't seen my precious little brother in a long time, and I really miss him. Would you kindly take me to your house so I could talk to him again?"

Ven and I were completely silent. Not only did this guy know my name, first and last, but he also declared that he was my uncle, Dad's brother, and he wanted to talk to his little brother. It was like someone was playing an April Fool's joke on me, only it wasn't April.

And this wasn't something to joke about.

"You're nuts," I finally said. "I don't have an uncle, and there's no way in hell I'm going to take you to my dad. See ya."

Not caring that Terra would probably kill me for not waiting for him, I pushed away from the wall I had been leaning against and began to stalk off. Ven called out after me, but really, I was in no mood to deal with anyone. I'd just found out that my parents had lied to me for my whole life.

I doubted my father would keep any more secrets from me.

"So, did Tifa tell you how she was such a wimp and ran away from life when it became difficult?"

I froze.

Either he was some kind of stalker, or, he was actually telling the truth. In which case, my parents lied to me. About another thing.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The guy, Sephiroth, was smiling very widely, almost like he was glaring at me in a very nasty way.

"Tifa. Your mother. Did she tell you how when she was eighteen, and graduated from high school, she took off from our house and didn't tell anyone where she was going? How about earlier, how her parents were killed in a mugging, quite near here, actually? Did she tell you that her family became a group of pathetic losers in Hallow Bastion?" He probably could have continued talking, but every question he asked just pissed me off.

"Shut up," I hissed. "What are you trying to prove?"

"That I am, indeed, your uncle, Roxas."

This couldn't be possible.

"Um, Roxas?" Ven ventured. I'd completely forgotten he was there... "What's going on?" I didn't know what was going on. But I wanted to know. Only way to figure it out.

"Fine. Whatever. If you want to see my father, then just come with me. But don't expect anything to happen." I turned to walk away, calling out to Ven, "Tell Terra if he comes looking for me, I'll get him arrested for stalking." That would keep the freak from bugging the hell out of me.

Now, I just needed to find out what was going on with my father...

* * *

"Axel, remind me never to trust my parents again."

_"Oh? What's going on now? And why the hell are you whispering?"_

"Because this guy who claims he's my uncle is right here."

_"You have an uncle? I thought-"_

"Note why I said 'claims.' I don't actually know if he's related to me, but just to make sure I'm taking him to my house so he can talk to my dad. That's what he says he wants to do."

_"You do realize that he's probably going to murder your father."_

"... no he's not."

_"Uh huh. I'm going to be there-"_

"No. You're. Not."

_"Why?"_

"My life, my issues. No need for you to get involved."

_"You just want me to sit back while a potential psychopath is in your house?"_

"Yes."

_"... I'm not happy about this."_

"I'm not expecting you to be."

_"Fine."_

"Fine."

_"Roxas?"_

"What?"

_"I love you."_

"... I love you too."

* * *

I knew Dad was going to be home. He was always home on Sundays, even if my mom wasn't. Despite the fact that I myself hadn't been to that house since I'd talked to Mom a few days ago, I was one hundred percent certain that he would be there.

And I hoped we would run into him soon, because Sephiroth was creeping me out. Really creeping me out.

Remembering Axel's warnings that he could be some kind of freak, I kept as far away from him as possible. It was hard, let me tell you. That guy was completely obsessed with staying near me, talking to me, asking me questions... it was like he was trying to learn as much as possible to use as black mail or something.

"This place is so much smaller than the house Cloud and I grew up in," the guy said, smirking up at the two story house I lived in. "Looks like he wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to live in a non-extravagant place."

I just ignored him.

"You know, Roxas, you're not a very nice person."

"Shut up."

"Oh? You have a tongue to you? How unlike your parents."

"Whatever."

"Who were you talking to earlier?" Sephiroth was being way too nosy for my liking. He wanted to know too much about me, and my parents. I once again began doubting that he was actually my dad's brother, because otherwise he would know things about him. The way he talked, it was like he hadn't talked to Dad in... well, a long time. Longer than I've been alive.

"None of your business," I answered after a moment of considering whether or not to tell him. It would certainly freak him out a bit.

He didn't press the issue, though, so I didn't say anything else. That is, until we walked into the house.

"Stay here," I told him. The guy just nodded, and leaned against the wall leading to the living room, watching me expectantly. I'd only brought him slightly into the house, away from the front door, but not too far in.

With a sigh, I headed up to the top floor, to my dad's study, where I assumed he was. I was right.

"Did you decide to give up on moving out for a little while?"

How the hell he knew it was me was somewhat of a mystery. I didn't make a single sound when I walked into the room, so there was no possible way he could know that someone had just walked into his office, much less me. Maybe he was psychic. This whole ordeal really made me wish that I could do creepy ESP-er things...

"No..." I muttered hesitantly. "Some guy came up to me and Ven-"

"Ven? Who's Ven? I would have thought you would be with Mr. Lea."

Right, Dad probably knew nothing about Ellie or her "friends" from high school. "Ven is a kid who's friends, or, was friends, with Ellie when she was in high school. He and his other friend, Terra, ran into me and Axel, who I was with in Downtown Radiant Garden, and I pretty much got... um... abducted."

Dad turned around in his chair and gave me a look of utter disbelief.

"It's true!" I protested, feeling my face flush. Dad was such a weirdo. "But anyway. This guy came up to us and said he wanted to talk to you, so I brought him here-"

"You have no street sense, Roxas."

Wonderful. My father just _had_ to make fun of me when I was already in a bad mood from being with that creepy ass guy.

"Well sorry," I muttered. Dad sighed but said nothing else, and he stood, shaking his head sadly. Without saying anything, the two of us headed downstairs, I was wishing this wasn't happening. I mean, seriously. This wasn't fun at all. My wonderful day with Axel turned into some kind of messed up crisis. Getting stuck with Ven and Terra wasn't nearly as bad as this.

These thoughts got even more serious when I saw what happened with my dad and the weird ass messed up guy.

Dad freaked.

"What the hell are you doing here," he hissed as soon as he saw Sephiroth. "I clearly told you _never _to come near me again."

Yeah... more lies from my parents.

Wonderful.

"Oh little brother. Surely after thirty years you could learn to forgive-"

"Get the hell out of my house!" I was completely surprised by the fact my father raised his voice. He actually yelled. I began to think there was a reason I didn't know about this, "uncle" of mine. Well, there was definitely a reason. I just decided it was a good reason as soon as I heard my father yell at the guy.

"Um... Dad?" I asked, voice quiet.

"Get out of here, Roxas. This guy-" Dad started to say, but before he could finish, the guy interrupted him.

"Isn't dangerous at all! I'm just here to say hello to my wonderful only living relative," Sephiroth said. There was something about the way he said that sent shivers down my spine. It was creepy as all hell. "After our parents died, and you denied my existence, I became so, _lonely_."

Before I knew what was happening, Sephiroth had grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the door.

"Hey!" I protested, struggling against his grip, but it tightened painfully. "Let go of me!" It was obvious that I was in pain, but he just ignored me, instead, his eyes on my father who looked like he was going to commit murder.

"How's Tifa? I was surprised to find out the two of you had gotten married. After all, she did hate you when we were younger." Again, his voice was creepy, almost malicious.

"It's none of your business," Dad hissed. I noticed his hand shaking. The rage of seeing this guy again seemed to be too much for him, especially since the guy was practically holding me hostage. Or, that's what it seems like to me.

"Oh? Touchy on the subject of your _wife_, are we?" The guy laughed, then released my hand, shoving me to the side. "Always been in love with her... Is she as good for you as she was for me?"

Silence. Complete and utter silence followed that statement.

I was so confused. Did this guy mean he'd slept with my mother? Why the hell would he do that if his little brother had been in love with her? Suddenly, the one thing Mom didn't really talk about when she told me her story made sense.

The fact that she blamed Dad for something... for not stopping the bad thing that had happened to her... it all clicked with what was going on here.

This guy had... raped Mom.

Just as I came to this realization, Sephiroth muttered something else, something I missed, and Dad just snapped.

"Get the fuck out of my house before I call the police!" I think his voice was the loudest I'd ever heard it before. It was terrifying. Horribly terrifying and vicious. When Sephiroth didn't move from his spot, Dad did. And it looked like he was going to hurt his brother.

I wanted to stop him, I really did, but I was completely frozen. Fear, maybe, kept me from moving.

"Cloud, wait!"

Then Mom was there, standing in front of Dad, keeping him from hurting Sephiroth. If he could, anyway. I didn't know how well Dad could fight.

"Why, hello there, Tifa," Sephiroth said in a cold, chilling voice. Mom flinched when he said her name, and she glanced back over her shoulder, eyes wide. I knew then that my theory was right. This guy obviously did things to her when she was younger, and Dad did nothing to stop it.

Damn.

"Aw, are you still afraid of me?"

Mom looked back at my dad, her head bent slightly before pushing Dad into another section of the house. I could hear him protesting, then her shushing him, but then I was left all alone with this freak of nature. Who molested my mom. And started giving me funny looks once my parents were out of the room.

"Well, that was fun," he said. "You looked shocked, Roxas. Did Tifa not tell you anything?"

"She told me a lot. You were never mentioned," I managed to mutter.

"Of course she wouldn't tell you about me." He smirked. "Cloud still hates me for everything I did to those two." Both of them? "I was hoping that after a few years, he could start to forgive me, as our parents were never able to, but I see he can't."

"What the hell did you do to my parents?" I was scared of the answer, mainly because I felt I already knew the answer. However, I needed to hear it from this guy. "Why haven't you been able to visit my parents, and why is Mom so afraid of you?"

"Oh, you already know, Roxas."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do," he said, taking a step towards me. "You know perfectly well that the reason your father, my precious little brother, kicked me out of the house." Another step. "You're not an idiot, Roxas. You can probably imagine the things I did to your parents, even though your mom has no idea what I did to Cloud. Can't you?" Step. "Surely you can imagine the things I desperately want to do to you."

Man, you have no idea how much I wished I _wasn't_ trapped against the wall. He kept walking closer to me, his eyes gleaming, and I briefly wondered why the hell my parents would leave me alone in the same room as this... uh... I don't even know how to describe this guy. Maybe they were convinced since he did nothing to me on the way here... But that would be too rational. Dad was pissed, Mom was terrified, and she didn't even know... Plus, they knew I couldn't defend myself. They both knew that I was pathetic and couldn't fight to save my life, no matter how much I tried to learn. Five and a half years of karate did nothing for me. I guess I just didn't have the brain to fight people off, and now I was going to be-

"Touch him, and you're going to regret living."

Immediately, the hand that was closing in on me withdrew. I still couldn't breath, though, and as I turned to see who my savior was, my vision blurred. Still, I could make out the basic outline of Axel, who's arms were crossed. I slid to the floor and tried not to begin hyperventilating.

"Who are you?" I heard Sephiroth ask.

"Not someone you need to know about." Someone grabbed my arm, and I figured it was Axel. The hand was too warm to be my messed up uncle. "Come on, Roxas," he muttered, holding me up.

"Axel? What are you doing here?"

Mom was the one talking. I looked over at her. She was really pale, and her eyes were wide as she glanced at Sephiroth, but she was calm. I didn't see my father at all. Most likely, Mom had told him to stay back. It was weird. Normally he's the calm one...

"I got a bad feeling and came to see how Roxie was doing. Now, we're leaving." He pulled me along like I was some kind of rag doll. "I suggest you get this creep the hell out of here," was the last thing he said to my mother before we were outside.

"I told you-" I managed to mutter, pulling away.

"I got this weird vibe," Axel said, smiling down at me. Damn, I love the way he smiles. "I couldn't help but come see if there was something up. I'm glad I did too." It was too much for me. I had to hug him.

"Thank you. I thought... I didn't know what was going to happen to me."

"I figured." He paused a moment, then asked, "So, what exactly was going on when I showed up? You looked absolutely terrified, like he was going to do something to you."

What could I say? That he was probably going to... uh... do things to me? Though, I had a feeling he actually wouldn't have done anything because my parents were in the room next to us. But who knows. If Axel hadn't come, who knows what would have happened to me. Kidnapped, maybe.

"Roxas, it's okay now," Axel's soothing voice said. "You're going to be okay."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you?"

I couldn't answer him.

Did I know? That guy was so creepy, and after I learned what he did to my parents...

Was I okay?

* * *

"You know what?" I exclaimed, throwing my pencil down on the table. "I fucking give up. Give up, give up, give up!" Letting out a frustrated groan, I leaned my head on the table, ignoring the chuckle from Axel and Sora. "You two can figure out where I'm going to live, because I. Am. _Done_!"

I knew Sora and Axel were exchanging amused glances. It was really annoying. Despite the fact that it'd been a week since I'd almost been sexually assaulted (or, I thought I was going to be) by my uncle, the two of them were being frustrating sons of bitches.

"Fine, Roxie, I'll take over," Axel said in that annoying cocky voice of his. "Sora, you can go hang out with Kairi now. The fun's over."

"Aw, that's not cool," Sora laughed. "Oh well. See you guys later." I grunted. My way of saying 'have fun,' and the two guys with me laughed again. Angered me slightly... Actually, a lot.

I heard Sora leave the apartment, then Axel lean down next to me.

"So, you don't care where you live?" He whispered.

"Nope. I just want _out_ of here and my house."

"Hm... okay." I looked up, completely hopeful. "But first," oh shit, "I want to have some fun."

* * *

**For my beta's sake, they're going to be playing Monopoly :P**

**Also, Roxas is an idiot. Why is he so stupid? -_-**

**Hm... oh well. See ya guys sometime in the next two weeks or something like that.  
**


	37. Are you going to kiss me

**Somewhat early today. I have a reason. I just don't feel like telling you guys.**

**I'm still being a lazy son of a bitch.**

**So, reviews... No, Ven isn't Tifa's kid, he is Sephiroth's but neither of them know that and it's a long story, Seph is a huge creep, that was my intention, yes, I am a cruel person- I have to be, I'm a writer- Axel would have won if they completed the game... Roxas would never use the 'dumb blonde' excuse, and finally, Roxas' parents are only hiding one more thing from him, but you don't find out about it in this story and it's not important so... XD **

**:D**

**I'm sick of fanfiction. I've decided after Something about the Rain is done, I'm not going to write any more... So basically, you get the rest of Elephant, Something about the Rain, and my one shot that I need to finish for the person who got all the words right for chapter... I wanna say 30. Then I'm done. For now. Instead, I'll be working on my original trilogy. Yay.  
**

**Um... I probably have something else to say, but I can't remember... Oh yeah! Vote in the poll! I need to know who you guys want to learn more about in SATR. **

**Thanks for the reviews, please enjoy, review, and I'll see you guys next week. **

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: Are you going to kiss me, or do you need a written invitation?**

* * *

It amazes me how little stuff I have. It only took two hours for me and Axel to pack everything I owned and move it to my new apartment. Actually, it really only took an hour, but no one was in the house at the time and Axel was being a stupid horny jerk.

Er... not really a jerk.

But that doesn't matter.

What does matter, is that I had finally packed up all my stuff and was finally moving out of my parents house. For the first time in my life, I was going to be completely independent. Well, as independent as you can get working for your father.

"Roxas, are you sure you don't want to live with me?" Axel asked, breaking through my thoughts. Sighing, I set down the last box I needed to move on my new apartment floor.

"Why do you keep asking me that? I'm not some pathetic kid. I can live on my own," I snapped, irritated. Axel had been acting so protective recently. I mean, he's normally protective, but ever since he found me an apartment, and I got it, he's been all over me. Pretty much every second of every day, Axel's been checking up on me, or been in the same room as I have. As nice as it was to be with my boyfriend, it was getting kind of annoying.

I did like my space.

"Well, sometimes you act like some pathetic kid," Axel muttered. "Especially when you were trying to find this place. You had _no_ idea what to do."

"So, because I don't know how to look for an apartment, you've decided that I need to be baby sat?"

"I'm not babysitting you."

"Then what are you doing?"

It's like everything I say is taken in by Axel, twisted around in the weird ass mind of his, and inferred in some messed up way. Like, that last question I asked. I wanted to know what he would call being around me all the time other than stalking, and yet he somehow managed to make it seem like I was asking something else.

I have no fucking idea what he made it sound like I was asking, but the next thing I know he's kissing me. Except, it wasn't his normal, calm, dominate type kiss. It was more like he was telling me that he was going to keep me safe.

It only lasted a second.

"Ready to unpack?" Axel whispered, pulling me close to him. "It's going to take a long time."

All I could do was nod.

* * *

"Wow, Roxas has finally moved out of his house. I am amazed."

Ellie had this annoying teasing tone to her voice when she walked into my apartment later that day. I honestly didn't even know why she'd bother showing up. It wasn't like torturing me brought her any joy.

Oh wait. Yes it did.

And Riku joined her as well. I had a feeling the two of them had just come so they could make fun of me for having to unpack everything. It was just like them to strike as soon as I sent Axel away. As Riku had put it earlier this week at work, when he asked me a shit ton of random questions about Sora; the best predators wait until the danger is gone.

Yeah, Riku said that. Then he kept asking me questions about Sora, completely ignoring my own questions about why the two of them were fighting so much.

It was nearly impossible to get a straight answer out of the two. Or an answer, for that matter. Neither were talking, and it was really pissing me off. Axel too. He kept saying he couldn't figure out what happened between them. Ellie wasn't talking, Kairi didn't seem to know, and the two involved shut their traps whenever the subject was brought up...

Probably, Axel and I would never know what happened.

"What do you two want?" I asked, tempted to slam the door in their faces.

"Oh, just to see where you live." Was Riku's vicious reply. "I don't want to have to search through half the city looking for you next time I happen to become a kidnapper."

That caused me to close the door. And lock it. And never want to open it again.

"Hey! Roxas, he was kidding! Open the damn door! I need to talk to you."

"Only if you send _that_ away," I told Ellie, with absolutely no intention of following through with my suggestion. On the other side of the door, I heard Riku let out a growl, irritated I'd called him a "that," and then Ellie scolding him.

"He's gone."

Honestly, I didn't believe her. Yeah, Ellie was normally honest, but she wasn't always, and she was also a lawyer. Lying was her specialty. But, I felt that I owed her for some strange reason. Maybe I still felt like I hadn't payed her back for telling me Axel was gay, or her telling me that he really loved me, which in the end, was the reason I realized I liked him.

So, I opened the door.

She'd been telling the truth. Riku really was gone. But, it didn't mean he wasn't hiding or anything, so I didn't waste any time grabbing Ellie's arm and yanking her into my apartment, then slamming the door shut.

Safe.

"Wow. Do you really hate Riku?" Ellie seemed to be on the verge of laughter for some odd reason. I rolled my eyes.

"No. I'm just currently worried for my life." If Riku was actually pissed because I'd called him a 'that', then I was completely screwed.

"You do realize that if he really wanted to kill you, a door's not going to keep him from getting at you."

"Thanks. Real assuring."

"You're welcome."

I became pretty lost in my thoughts as I led Ellie to the small kitchen to get her something to drink. I wanted desperately know what it was she wanted to talk to me about, and why she brought Riku along to talk to me. It was actually possible that Riku just followed her, but it was impossible to know with the two of them. Normally, I was pretty good at reading people, but not them. Especially not Ellie.

I think she and Axel are actually aliens from outer space who're here on a mission from their leader to castrate me and bring me back on a platter like some piece of meat.

That would explain why Axel was always so determined to get in my pants whenever he and I were alone.

Hm...

"No, Roxas, Axel and I are not aliens, and I honestly don't care if you have balls or not."

I blushed, not realizing that Ellie would guess what I was thinking, or be so blunt about it. But, it was in her personality to act that way...

"What do you mean?" I decided to feign innocence. You know, throw her off her course a little, make her doubt her annoyingly good people reading skills. The ones I think she stole from me. But, it didn't work, and she just laughed.

"Never mind. It's not important anyway." I could only watch as she sat down on the floor of my kitchen. It made me wish I had a table.

"Okay, then why are you here?" I finally managed to ask after a while, joining her on the ground. "Is there some reason why you just come here randomly with Riku then say you need to talk?"

While she sat there, completely silent, I began thinking about all the things she could talk about. The two of us hadn't really had a conversation since the hospital back in March, so there were a shit ton of things. First, she could question me about Axel, then lecture me, and so on. Another thing would be how work was going, though she seemed to sad and serious for that to be an issue. Of course, she could actually be here to tell me the reason Riku and Sora were fighting.

"Axel told me you ran into Terra and Ven when searching for an apartment."

Yeah... I wasn't expecting that. Why would she care if I met them or not?

"Uh huh. I did. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

Ellie looked down at her hands, like she was hiding tears or something. "Did Axel tell you who they were?"

I was so confused. There was really no reason for her to be asking me this, and yet... Man, women are weird. "Kinda. He and Terra kind got into an argument, and I found out Terra tried to kill you, then Ven told me he was schizophrenic and that you didn't get along with them because they took Terra's side and-"

"Okay, okay. You know." She laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Damn. I told Axel not to let you know."

"Why would you do that?" I was hurt, to say the least. Why couldn't I know?

"I don't want you guys to know," she muttered. "Kairi and Sora don't know, and Riku just found out, right before Axel was released from the hospital. I don't like people knowing, even though it's really hard to hide."

Ellie was acting weird. Beyond weird. It was like she had been possessed or something. She was actually acting like some kind of human being, rather than a cocky freak of nature. I even think she was about to cry.

"Why is it so hard to hide?"

Then, she did the one thing I would _never_ have expected Ellie to ever do in her life.

She took off her shirt.

Immediately I could feel heat rising in my cheeks, and I turned away, stuttering, "W-w-what the h-h-h-hell? W-why a-a-are you d-d-doing that?" Either she was coming onto me, or she was on something. Either way, Riku would kill me.

"Look at me, Roxas."

Hesitantly, I did what I was told, and what I saw shocked me.

Covering her stomach, upper arms, and parts of her chest were pale scars, going on all directions. Axel had said Ellie had been cut on her stomach and stabbed once, but he never said the wounds had been all over her upper body and that there was so many. It was eerie to see.

"Ellie..."

"I'm ashamed of these scars, Roxas. Every time I look in the mirror and see them, I'm not afraid of Terra; I'm ashamed that I wasn't able to see the signs. I look and I think I'm ugly, and deserving of them. So I try and hide them. I never go swimming, I won't wear tank tops or really anything revealing... I can't even look Riku in the face sometimes."

It was weird. The strong, hard ass Ellie I knew, and had kinda become friends with, wasn't really that strong at all.

"Why are you showing me this," I asked as she slipped her shirt back on. "It seems kinda random-"

"Because you know what happened to me, Roxas. You know what Terra did to me, and you know that Ven thinks I hate him. I don't hate him. Or Aqua. I can't be their friend, but I don't hate them."

Okay, Ellie wasn't making any sense. "What do you mean? If you don't hate them, then being their friend should be easy. Right?"

"That's what Terra told me. He said I should just forgive him for what happened," she sighed. "But, I can't forgive a person I've never blamed."

"What?"

"I've never been mad at Terra. A little scared of him for a while, maybe, but never mad." Like I said. No sense. "I can't be around the three of them because they expect things to go back to the way they were before Terra went nuts. Ven in particular, wants me to get back together with Terra, be part of their little group, move back to Departure, and just act like nothing ever happened. But that can't be like that. Things can never be normal for the four of us again."

Huh. I was seeing a side of Ellie I didn't know existed. I didn't realize that she could be so deep and thoughtful. Then again, I've never really had a serious conversation with her, other than in the hospital.

It was weird, knowing all this about her. She wasn't really a mystery to me anymore. It was more like she was just a person with issues, just like the rest of us. That was really nice to know.

"Hey, Ellie, I didn't know you and Roxie were so friendly." I jumped when Axel said this, so not expecting him to show up again after I kicked him out earlier. Ellie didn't seem phased at all.

"I'm just here to talk to him a little. But I'm leaving now." She stood, and I followed suit, saying I would walk her to the door while silently yelling at Axel for disobeying my orders and showing up again. His shrug let me know he wasn't sorry.

At the door, I said goodbye to Ellie. "See you tomorrow then," I muttered, feeling Axel's eyes on my back. Suddenly, Ellie's hands were on my shoulders, and she reached up to kiss my cheek. I heard Axel gasp, but my mind was pretty much gone. It reminded me of the first couple of months after I started work, where I was convinced Ellie had a crush on me. Why else would she just randomly kiss me? Even if it was on the cheek.

"Thank you, Roxas, for listening to me," she whispered, trying not to let Axel hear. "It's a shame you're an only child. You'd make such a good older brother."

I saw tears in her eyes as she bolted out the door, but I was in too much shock to chase after her. Plus, Axel had come up behind me and I was facing him.

"Roxas? Hello? Earth to Roxie! Wake up!" I could hear his voice, but it was really distant. Ellie had probably been on something. On a lot of things. Maybe drunk. Because there's no way Ellie in her right mind would take her shirt of randomly, then kiss me on the cheek. In front of my boyfriend. Who's her best friend. And cousin.

While thinking this, I looked up at Axel, then smirked, not sure what had come over me.

"Are you going to kiss me, or do you need a written invitation?"


	38. Just because I can't sing

**10**

**Okay, short AN again... I'm liking them short. Thanks to P5hing-Me-A'Wy, Riddick12, quinn817, and 813 i love you 813 for your reviews. When I stop being lazy, I'll PM you with my answers... Maybe. There's no guarantee. I did read them though :P Also, thank you quinn817 for suggesting me to your readers :) I don't think I deserve it, but thanks! :)  
**

**Um... I hate RiSo. I'm just putting that out there now. I know that people like that pairing, and I respect that and don't care if any of you guys like it (so don't review telling me how awesome the pairing is -_-), but I honestly don't think it works unless Sora's personality changes completely. Based on their personalities in the game, it doesn't work. Just saying. Because it has something to do with this chapter. And the next one. So don't get all fangirly on me you RiSo fans. There's none of that in my story.**

**Sorry, that was kinda random. ^^;**

**Anyway, might not have a chapter for you next week because I'm going to be in a place without internet on my laptop... I might be able to convince my aunt to let me borrow her computer for a little while. She probably wouldn't mind. So I don't know.**

**Read, enjoy, review, and please answer the poll.**

**~Sunechirei**

**Dedication: I'm dedicating this chapter to my friend Minora for three reasons: A, she FINALLY read up to date (kinda), B, she's going out of her boundaries and writing an AkuRoku fic, and C, I hope you feel better soon :)**

**Full Chapter Title: Just because I can't sing, doesn't mean I won't (Courtesy of Miss Withnospaces because she says this waaaay to often)**

* * *

I was sitting alone in my apartment. All of the boxes were empty, sitting in a huge pile in the middle of my entry way. I only had a single chair in the living room area, a table, a bed, and a few bookshelves, but that's all I really needed. There was nothing else important, right?

Sighing contently, I sat in the comfy chair in the living room, hoping that I could get some sleep for a little while. Or dinner. I hadn't eaten much all day, so my stomach was yelling at me rather viciously. But, I was feeling too lazy to move from my spot. It was comfortable. Really, really comfortable. So much so, that I ended up falling asleep...

And the next thing I know I'm being woken up by a very rude silver-haired man who apparently makes a habit of breaking and entering. This had been the second time he broke into my apartment, and I hadn't even been living there for more than a week.

He was such a freak.

"Morning Roxie. Or, more like 'evening'."

I grumbled that Riku needed to get the hell away from me before I hurt him, but I heard something very intriguing, so all thoughts of hurting Riku left my head.

It was Sora, laughing. Sora. Sora of all people. You know, the one who Riku wasn't talking to, and the one who wasn't talking to Riku. They were in the same room, at the same time, laughing, and not ignoring each other.

What the fucking shit was fucking going on here?

"Sora?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out!" I swear that Sora's a three hundred on the annoyingness scale. And that's sad, because the scale stops at five.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" That wasn't actually the question I really wanted to ask, but it's the one that came out, so I lived with it.

"We've come to help you furnish your new apartment!" Sora seemed happy. Too happy. Sure, he acted like an idiot most of the time, but this was way too much. Underneath the hyper persona, I could see a very irritated person.

Interesting.

"Okay, I have two more questions for you guys," I said, leaning forward and rubbing my temples. "First, do you guys even know _how_ to 'furnish' an apartment?"

"Nope."

"No idea."

It was then I started getting a headache. "Then why are you guys here? And I thought you were fighting, so why are you here, _together_."

Obviously neither of them wanted to talk to me, and I could clearly see the tension suddenly rise between the two of them. It was kinda entertaining to see that happen, but sad at the same time. Sora and Riku were best friends. What in the world could have happened that made them become so distant from each other?

"Kairi made us come. Both of us," Sora said after a while. Or, more like muttered.

"Yeah. Trust me. I don't want to be here."

"Neither do I."

"Then get the hell out of my apartment."

* * *

They did get the hell out of my apartment.

They dragged me with them.

"Okay," I growled, "this has absolutely nothing to do with my apartment. I told you to get out. Not to fucking take me with you!"

"You didn't have to come," Riku laughed, patting me on the head.

"Fuck you, Riku!"

"Please, Roxie, save it for Axel."

If we hadn't been in the middle of a huge crowd, and my hands hadn't been tied behind my back with some random piece of rope that Sora found in my apartment, I probably would have done something violent. I had no choice but to go with these two bastards. They fucking tied me up and dragged me out of my house!

A piece of advice: even when Sora and Riku are pissed at each other, they work well together. Don't. Get. On. Their. Bad. Side.

Then I heard something curious. Or, I think I heard it. I may have been imagining what Sora muttered to himself, but if that was the case, then Riku probably wouldn't have glared at his friend.

This is what I think I heard: "I'm sure you'd like him to fuck you."

….

Yeah, I think I misheard that one.

"Look, Riku, Sora, I don't hate you guys or anything, but I'm really tired, and I don't want to be here, so please untie me and let me go back to my apartment," I eventually pleaded, trying to ignore the fact that Sora and Riku looked as though they were about to kill each other.

"Shut up, Roxie," Riku hissed. "Ellie took over my place and won't let me come back for a long time. I don't want to be here either, but I'd rather be with you than _him._"

Sora was fuming. I became scared.

"I don't want to be here either."

"Then leave," Riku muttered, crossing his arms.

"No, you leave."

"Sorry. No can do."

"You're such a fucking bastard."

"And you aren't?"

"No, I'm not. I didn't do anything! You're the freak!"

"Oh? I am? I thought I was your best friend!"

"I thought you were too, but no. You had to go and be some weird ass person who-"

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" I'd gotten sick of them arguing. Obviously they were both being complete idiots, but it was impossible to know what they were talking about. Did Riku do something that betrayed their friendship? Did it have to do with Kairi, or their work, or their family, or what? There was nothing that made sense about this whole thing.

"None of your business, Roxas," Riku told me, still glaring at Sora.

"No. It is my business. You're the ones who got me involved in this mess. If you don't tell me what the hell is going on between the two of you, I swear I'll tell Axel that you kidnapped me forcefully, then forced me to do _things_, and you know he would kill you."

I let the threat sink in, knowing that it would work. Riku and Sora pretty much did whatever Axel wanted them to, and I could tell that they were afraid of him slightly. They knew that if I told him they'd dragged me out here against my will, and I really acted angry or upset about it, he wouldn't be happy about it.

I love having a boyfriend.

Or, more like I love having _Axel_ as my boyfriend.

Anyone else would just be weird.

"You're not going to tell him that," Sora said, laughing. "You wouldn't dare..." He didn't sound too certain.

"Wanna bet?" I was beginning to have fun with this. "You have no idea what I do when I'm irritated enough to make threats like that. Do you really want to test what I would and wouldn't dare do?"

They said nothing to me, but I could tell I was getting to them. Eventually, Riku sighed and untied my hands, which I wasn't expecting. Then, he glanced at Sora, who just shrugged, looking really irritated.

"If you want to know, you're going to have to hang out with us for the rest of the day."

"No, if you want me to hang out with you for the rest of the day, you'll tell me."

"Sorry, Roxie." It was Sora who spoke this time, much to my surprise. "Neither of us are going to talk unless you comply to our wishes."

I decided that their logic made no sense.

"Fine." But it was no use arguing with them. "Fine. But if you guys don't end up telling me, or you lie about it, you're going to regret it."

"So, what exactly are we doing?" I asked in a quiet voice. Even though Riku and Sora seemed less angry at each other right then, there was still this scary, 'I'm going to murder anyone who comes near me or bugs me,' attitude to the two of them. Obviously, whatever was causing them to fight, was also something that was hard for them to talk about.

Wonderful.

"We, Roxie, are going to have fun."

Wonderful explanation, Sora, wonderful explanation.

"I got that," I said, rolling my eyes. "But your idea of fun, and my idea of fun, are two completely different things." After letting that sink in for a minute, and having fun watching the two exchange glances, I added, "What do you guys think is fun right now."

I had to shudder at Sora's grin.

"Karaoke."

* * *

I thought he was kidding at first. Like, really kidding. But the look on his face was too happy and not kidding for it to be so, and I wanted to scream. I couldn't sing, and neither could Sora. As far as I knew, Riku couldn't either, which meant this was the most pointless thing we could ever possibly do.

Except for maybe some other random thing that was completely annoying and I can't think of right now, but karaoke was more something women do with their friends. Not guys, unless they had their girlfriends with them. So, we were going to be a bunch of creepers in a karaoke place.

As I said before. Wonderful.

"Please don't make me do this," I whined, half heartedly trying to escape Riku's annoyingly tight grasp. He'd grabbed my wrist when I'd tried to make a run for it. "I hate this stupid activity. Why don't we go do something else, like, you know, an arcade, or lazer tag! Yeah, that was fun to do. We should go back there and-"

"Shut up Roxie."

It was eerie how the two of them said that at the exact same time.

"Look, guys, I really want to know why you're fighting, but this is ridiculous. Surely there's another way to go about this?"

"Nope," Sora told me. "This is the only way, otherwise you're never going to find out." He was really irritating me. I could so find out another way, whether I threaten them, or have Axel find out, or... or... well, the only other way could be;

"I could just ask Ellie." Both Riku and Sora stopped in their tracks, not really caring that they were in the middle of a crowded area and people were yelling at them to move. "What?" I asked, nervous, "Ellie probably knows. She knows like, everything." I wish I hadn't said that. It only escalated the issue between Riku and Sora.

"You told Ellie," Sora said. Not asked, said. He sounded pissed. "Why the hell would you tell her that?"

"I didn't tell her," Riku muttered. "She already knew, before you did, and she figured out why we were fighting right after it happened. I told her nothing."

"Oh, so she knew about the whole thing even before I did? Thanks, Riku, thanks a lot."

"I wasn't going to tell anyone! And it's your fault that you were too stupid to notice!"

"No, it's your fault for being such a creep!"  
"Don't-"

"Shut up!" I was getting sick and tired of these two idiots. I just wanted to go home. Even the idea of knowing what was going on between the two wasn't really enough any-more to help me get through this nonsense. "Either shut up, or let me go home, because I'm about to murder the two of you and blame it on Axel."

A serious threat. And I meant it.

They took it seriously, as well, and neither one of them tried to say anything else as they began walking again. It made me happy to know I could shut the two most annoying people in the street up with one threat.

I was beginning to learn from these guys.

So, we finally made it to the karaoke place, none of us saying a word the entire time we walked around down-town to find this weird ass place. It was then that Riku decided to talk.

"You, Roxas," he said as soon as we were heading to the room, "are a fucking sly bastard, you know that, right?" I had to laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"You... you just are."

"What?"

"Never mind."

I think Riku was just pissed at me for threatening him not once, but twice, in the same day. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who liked having something hanging over his head that kept him from doing whatever the hell he wanted to do. Much like Axel, only Axel didn't turn into a complete and total jackass when he didn't get what he wanted. Wait, yes he did.

So, moving on from Riku being a weirdo.

Apparently, Sora decided that singing with me and Riku wasn't actually going to be fun, so he brought along man's best friend: alcohol.

Things got considerably better after we were all a little tipsy, but even being all drunk and what-not had no effect on making Sora's singing any better.

He sucked. He sucked so badly that Riku and I started talking about kicking him out of the place, but we were laughing too hard to move... He was just so horrible. I thought my ears were going to fall off half the time, but I guess the alcohol made it really really funny.

After a while, when Riku was singing, I managed to catch my breath and ask Sora what the fight was about. He got quiet really, really, really, really quickly. Riku didn't notice, thank goodness, because I had a feeling he would have tried to change the subject again.

"It's just something that Riku said to me... then what I said to him, then what happened after that..."

"I figured that. What was the conversation about?"

"You sure you want to know?" Duh, I wanted to know. I've been asking them about this for the past couple of weeks. If course I wanted to know.

"No, Sora, I only agreed to get drunk with you guys because I wanted to have fun. Of course I want to know, you idiot!" I started laughing, for no apparent reason, even though I wasn't at all amused by what was happening.

"Shut up..." Sora was blushing, and I don't think it was from the beer. He was actually flushing red and acting all embarrassed. Whatever this conversation had been about, it must have been really interesting for him. I knew then that this would be a very interesting conversation. I was going to have fun with this.

It took a couple of minutes before Sora finally told me. And when he did tell me, it made me want to faint.

"When Riku was seventeen, he started acting really... emo, depressing, you know, kinda like how he was when you first met him, only all the time, and not because of cough medicine. Then, he graduated from school early and left Destiny Island," Sora began to explain, trying to look away from me. I really didn't see how any of this was relevant, but, what could I do? It was his story. "He stopped talking to me and Kairi after that, having moved here and started going to college, and we were worried that something had happened to him, or he was having trouble at home and wanted to avoid us."

"That wasn't the reason, was it?" I decided to interject there, getting a bit tired of hearing Sora talk, plus Riku's song was done, so we had to tell him to sing another one. He actually wasn't that bad. A bit off key, but not bad. Man, that guy was practically perfect.

_Sexy, in a wa-_

"Bad!" I yelled, hitting myself in the head. Sora gave me a funny look, but I just waved my hand in a 'I'm fine, finish,' kinda way. He just shrugged and continued.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, when this fight happened, we were just sitting in his apartment, playing video games and hanging out, like we normally do on a Saturday, as we don't work that day."

"Uh huh..."

"So I decided to ask him what the deal with him leaving suddenly was. He just laughed and told me it was no big deal, so I asked him, "is it because you couldn't have Kairi?" in a joking kinda way, you know to pick on him because he and I fought over her in middle school."

"Yeah, Kairi said it was kinda cute what you guys did."

"She told you?"

"Yep."

"Damn. Anyway, his response is really what started this whole thing."

"What did he say?"

"'No, it was because I couldn't have you.'"

I had to laugh. I mean, laugh like I never had before. There was no way this was real. There must have been some mistake. Sora probably heard him wrong, or Riku was joking, or-

"He was being serious, Roxas."

I stopped laughing.

Just as Riku's song finished.

I was stunned into complete silence after that, just staring at the wall as Sora and Riku switched places. I still didn't completely believe it, seeing as Riku was completely straight and in love with Ellie. Right?

Sora's singing distracted me from my thoughts, and I noticed Riku sitting next to me. I blushed and scooted away, hoping that he wouldn't noticed my discomfort. Then, I decided to jokingly ask him about what Sora said.

"So, you 'wanted' Sora, did you?" I managed to choke out. Riku's face went pale.

"He told you?"  
"Only to there," I muttered with a shrug. "What happened after you told him that you left because you 'couldn't have him,' as you put it."

"Look, Roxas-"

"Just tell me. I don't really care about the back story." It was true.

Riku sighed and leaned back against the couch, obviously uncomfortable. It made me laugh to see him like this, but his deadly look made me bite my lip and be quiet about the whole thing. "Sora didn't believe me at first, but when I told him I was completely serious, he kinda got quiet and didn't talk for a couple of minutes. Then the douche bag asked me if I started dating Ellie because she looked so much like a guy."

…. He practically said that Ellie looked like a dude. To Riku. When Riku was trying to be serious.

"Basically, I attacked him after that."

"I would think so!" I was so shocked that it took me a moment to react to what Riku told me. Man. These guys were both complete _idiots!_ I thought I could be stupid, but these two were just dumb. Riku should never have told Sora the reason, and even if he wanted to, Sora should have never said that about Ellie. I had a feeling if Ellie found out what Sora said, there would be a death in the office.

A very bloody death.

Especially since Ellie had decided to grow her hair out because she was tired of people thinking she was a guy from the back (heard that one from Axel. Don't tell Ellie I know).

"There. You know," Riku grumbled, crossing his arms. "Now, can we just have some fun? I don't really want to be here with Sora right now, and I doubt he wants me to be here as well, so let's just forget about all this shit and get really drunk. Okay?"

"Sure," I told him. "But I don't want to deal with you two idiots alone. I'm calling Axel."

Riku tried to protest, but I got up and pulled out my cell phone, sneering and sticking out my tongue at the silver-haired man. Walking out of the room, I ignored Sora's call and dialed Axel's number.

* * *

It didn't take long at all for Axel to show up. Ten minutes, to be exact. I timed him.

So, it seems that when both me and Axel are there, Riku and Sora stop being stupid and start acting like friends around each other again. Of course, that could be a coincidence from the fact that they both drank at least five beers by themselves, so they probably forgot all about what was happening.

Except that Axel told me that Riku could really hold his liquor, so it was possible he was just acting drunk.

Like Axel always did.

"You know what just occurred to me?" Sora slurred, trying not to laugh. "Roxie here, is under-age. He shouldn't be drinking at all!"

"Hey!" I protested. "I only have less than a year and a half. It's _not_ that big of a deal." I actually like drinking with my friends now. The first time, when I had a hangover after Axel decided to fucking spike my drink (I still haven't forgiven him for that), it was easier for me to have alcohol and not really feel affected by it. Or, that's what I thought. At least I still remembered what happened now.

But, according to Sora and Kairi, I became a flirt when I was drunk... I don't believe them, but then again, I probably don't remember those times.

…..

I just contradicted myself.

"Still, no more drinking for you, Roxas," Riku said, taking away the drink I had. I protested, but really, there was nothing I could do. "And besides, I think you should sing something." I froze.

"Yeah! You're the only one who hasn't sung all night!" Sora said, patting me on the back.

"Really? I thought he was just being shy because I was here," Axel said. He smirked at me, like he knew something I didn't. I became very afraid.

"I can't really sing, guys," I told them. "I'm really bad-"

"Don't care!" Sora shoved me off the seat. "Sing us something!"

It's at times like these that I decided I hated being around guys who are older than I am. They were very good at convincing me to do things I didn't really want to do. Like, sing karaoke in front of them when I was a horrible singer.

So, I started to sing the first song that came on, knowing it would be horrible.

It wasn't that long of a song, and I tried to be as quiet as possible. That way, none of them would know just how horrible I was at _another_ thing in my life. This is why I didn't karaoke... It never ended well for me.

When I finished, they were all staring at me like I was some kind of freak. Not speaking, not blinking, not even breathing.

Creepy.

"See, I told you I suck," I muttered, placing the stupid microphone on the table. These guys were such jerks.

"Suck?" Axel's voice was filled with disbelief. "Dude, Roxas, you could become a famous singer!" Lying to make me feel better. How like Axel to do that. I just shook my head, but his hands on my shoulders stopped me from completing the action. "Roxie, seriously, you don't suck."

Riku laughed.

"Yeah, you're the complete opposite of Sora!"

"Hey!"  
"It's true," Riku teased. "It's like that in everything, actually. Sora's less awkward in a crowd, Roxie sucks at being with people. Sora can fight, Roxie's about as weak as a two year old. Sora cant' sing worth crap, Roxie's amazing." He paused for a moment, thinking about that. "How weird..."

I think Riku was just drunk.

"Doesn't matter," Axel laughed. "Roxie, sing another song!" I tried to protest, but Riku and Sora echoed Axel's request and I had no choice but to give in.

Stupid friends.


	39. Eat, sleep, and be scary

**8**

**Okay, so I'm proud of you people. None of you got mad at me for saying I don't like RiSo :D Or, you didn't voice your anger. Not that many of you reviewed.**

**So, I answered all reviews in PM's, so none of that here :) Just wanted to say that this is going to be a double chapter week because I'm not going to have internet next Saturday (I'm not going to have internet in an hour and a half until next Saturday), so I'm posting two this week. Early. And I don't know what I'll be able to post another chapter because of issues with my Beta's computer. It's not her fault, so don't get mad at either of us. -_-**

**Anyway, the one shot for the winner of chapter 30's word find/define is up now. It's called Hypochondriac, and you guys should read and review it :D**

**You should also read, enjoy, and review the next two chapters of this. Thanks!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: Eat, drink, and be scary**

* * *

Riku loved watching Ellie sleep. She was so peaceful in the morning, before she woke up and had to live the stressful life of a lawyer working for a huge company. She always slept on her side, Riku noticed, curled into a ball, her hands in fists underneath the blanket that was always pulled up to her face, making sure that no ounce of heat could escape from under the comforter. Heat was another thing that she liked, and more often than not, Ellie would cuddle up next to her boyfriend for his heat.

It always made him happy when she did this, and usually, he would wrap his arms around her body to pull her closer to him. But at the moment, he didn't want to hold her close to him. He just wanted to watch her sleep; watch her sides rise and fall slowly as she breathed calmly.

Riku had to smile as he observed his sleeping girlfriend, and ever so slowly, he reached down and brushed a single lock of her brown hair away from her closed eyes, making sure not to wake her. It would be disastrous if he did, as Ellie did not like to be woken up. However, as his fingers lightly grazed Ellie's pale skin, she stirred.

Her eyes opened in an agonizingly slow manner, and Riku knew that she wasn't going to be happy with him for waking her.

But, he mused, what's done is done.

However, Ellie didn't seem angry at all when she finally looked up at Riku. In fact, she seemed a bit dazed and confused, like she didn't know where she was or what was going on. The golden eyes that Riku fell in love with all those years ago stared up at him questioningly, most likely wondering why he was already dressed, and leaning against the headboard of his own bed.

The truth was that Riku had been up for a few hours already, which never happened. Ellie always woke up before Riku. However, he had things he had to do today, and Ellie had been up late the night before finishing something for work, so Riku figured he would just let her sleep.

He hadn't been expecting her to wake up.

"Morning," he chanced, not sure how Ellie would react to his voice. Luckily, she just smiled, and closed her eyes again.

"Morning," she mumbled. "What time is it?"

"Hm... about nine," Riku replied, sitting up. "You should go back to sleep. You didn't turn off the light until about four."

"You were up too," Ellie muttered. She pushed herself off the bed, eyes still partially closed. "Besides. Why are you already up and dressed." She paused for a moment, waiting for an answer, but Riku didn't feel like giving her one. So, she sighed. "Please tell me you weren't watching me sleep again."

Laughing, Riku reached forward and ruffled Ellie's already messy hair, as if she were a child. She swatted his hand away, allowing the blanket previously wrapped around her shoulders to fall off. The only thing Riku could do when he saw what Ellie was wearing was laugh, much to Ellie's irritation. She was wearing nothing but a large black t-shirt, one of Riku's, that she had most likely thrown on before climbing into the bed last night.

That, combined with her long messy hair and tired circles under her eyes, Ellie looked completely and totally pathetic.

"Yes, I was. Do you have a problem with that?" He was completely amused. There was just something about the way she was glaring at him that really made him never want to leave the room.

"Yeah, I do have a problem with it. It's creepy."

"So is you only wearing a t-shirt," Riku countered. "My t-shirt, for that matter." Riku loved the fact that Ellie flushed. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her body, looking down at her knees.

"I didn't have any pajamas here, and it's uncomfortable to sleep in the clothing I was wearing so I just grabbed something from your drawer," she muttered, face turning red.

Riku reached down slowly, and pulled Ellie into a hug. "I was kidding," he whispered in her ear. "It actually makes me very happy to see you like that." That seemed to be too much for the young woman, as she pushed Riku away.

"You're a perv," she hissed, pushing away from Riku. Her face was still extremely pink. "A complete and total perv."

"And that's why you love me." Riku kissed Ellie quickly on top of the head, then on the lips, just to see how she would react to being flirted with. Normally, she hated it when Riku was being somewhat flirty, and a 'pathetic romantic,' as she called it, but this time, her reaction wasn't negative. In fact, she ended up grabbing the back of Riku's neck and pulled him into a deeper kiss, probably not caring that the blanket had fallen off again.

Lost in an instant, Riku pushed Ellie down on the bed. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that wasn't something he should be doing, as Axel was expecting him, but that voice was a bit lost in the mass of random desire.

Just as Riku began to trail a line of kisses down Ellie's jaw and neck, an annoying buzz interrupted him. Glancing up at the bedside table next to Ellie, Riku saw her phone moving slightly. He silently cursed whoever decided now was the best time to call the lawyer.

Her reaction, was even worse.

"Fuck!" Her voice was high and screechy. "Who the hell is calling me so early in the morning!" She reached for the phone, muttering swear words under her breath, but Riku grabbed her hand before she could grab the annoying, ringing, mechanical device.

"Just because it rings," he muttered, "doesn't mean you need to answer it." Without waiting for Ellie's reply, he leaned down and kissed her. "Which means," another kiss, "we don't have to stop."

At first, Ellie seemed perfectly content to just allow her boyfriend to continue, but after the fifth ring, her 'answering the phone OCD' fully kicked in, and Riku felt a hand cover his mouth so he had to stop. He tried to move it away, but a warning glare from Ellie stopped him in his tracks.

"Hello," Ellie said into the phone, sounding like absolutely nothing impure was going on. "Roxas? What are you calling me for?" Riku groaned, and moved off of Ellie, allowing her to sit up again. "No, I don't know where Axel is. Why are you asking... Roxas... Roxas... Roxas! Calm down a second." She rolled her eyes at Riku. "He would mind if you randomly took off for the weekend. I know it's Halloween tomorrow, and that- Whoa!" Riku decided he'd had enough of Ellie being on the phone, so he took it from her.

"Roxas, get the hell of the phone and give me my girlfriend back," Riku snapped, pushing the young woman down on the bed with one hand to keep her from grabbing the phone back.

_"Riku? Why are you with- Oh wait, never mind, I don't want to know. Will you please give the phone back to Ellie? I need to talk to her."_

"No, I will not give the phone back to Ellie. You need to stop being a baby, get off the phone, and tell your _boyfriend_ that you're going to be pathetic and ditch him this weekend."

_"... You're an ass."_

"No, I'm a bastard. Bye now."

_"Hey wait! Rik-"_

Riku shut the phone before Roxas could say anything else. Ellie was glaring at him, still slightly struggling beneath his hand to get up.

"Ellie, stop struggling. I'm a hell of a lot stronger than you are, and you know it. It's pointless for you to fight me," Riku said, tossing the phone on the bed and pushing her other shoulder on the bed.

"Yeah, I know. I figured that out the first time I slept with you," was Ellie's reply. Riku had to laugh. The first time the two of them had slept together was four years back, a year after they'd started dating. Riku could clearly remember getting a call from Axel, who was worried as hell, looking for Ellie. It seemed, that she'd gone to work that day, but never returned home. Like any good roommate would do, Axel got worried and called Riku.

Despite the fact that it was raining, Riku agreed to go look for her. As soon as he'd walked out of the building, he saw her sitting at the bottom of the steps that led to his apartment, soaking wet, and drunk. Crying.

Being a good boyfriend, Riku helped her into his apartment, knowing that she would catch a cold if she stayed out in the rain, but as soon as they were inside, she jumped him.

Quite literally.

She wrapper her arms around his neck, causing him to fall onto his back, and started making out with him. Even though Riku was very happy about what was happening, it confused him even more than that, and he pushed her away to ask what she was doing. Normally, Ellie was very reserved around Riku, refusing to do much more than just kissing. This was her answer:

_"I really want to fuck you."_

Riku suddenly let out a laugh as he thought about how embarrassed he'd become after Ellie said that. The said girl, still struggling against Riku's grip, shot him a questioning look.

"Uh, Riku...?"

"It's nothing," Riku replied in a low voice. "You just amuse me." Ellie flushed.

"What the hell are you talking about? What am I doing that amuses you?"

"Not what you're doing now. What you _did_ four years ago. When you pushed me down. And told me you wanted to uh... have sex." The reaction to that sentence was not a pleasant one for Riku, as Ellie decided to grab Riku's arm. And dig her nails hard into his skin. Really, really hard.

"Ow!" Riku let go of her shoulders and examined his injured flesh, hissing at the swelling droplets of blood. "What the fuck was that for? You're the one who brought it up!" Ellie didn't reply. She just rolled off the bed before Riku could stop her, and rolled her eyes before walking into the bathroom, leaving a bleeding Riku sitting on his bed.

* * *

"So, what happened to your arm?" Axel asked a few hours later when Riku showed up at a random restaurant in Downtown Radiant Garden. Riku glanced down quickly at the gauze wrapped around the nail wounds from Ellie earlier.

"Your cousin's a bitch when she's embarrassed," Riku said, rolling his eyes.

"Ellie did that to you? What did you say to her?" Axel looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh at the situation, which was just annoying to Riku. Even though Ellie had wrapped his arm up and apologized for hurting him, he was irritated by the whole ordeal.

"It's none of you business," Riku said, placing his head in his hands.

"Alright." There was something about Axel's voice that made it sound like he actually knew the reason. Or, at least had a vague idea of what happened. "Well, you probably deserved it. Anyway, onto our plan."

Ignoring Axel's nasty comment, Riku leaned back in his seat, a grin suddenly spreading onto his face. The two twenty-six year old guys had been planning on something for Halloween, because last year, according to Axel, had been dumb and boring. So, with some help from Sora and Kairi, the two got the plans for a party. The only thing they had left to do was make sure Roxas was there.

Riku had to laugh at Roxas' fear of Halloween. Sure, he and Sora had done some pretty nasty things to scare the seven year old Roxas all those years ago, but surely after twelve years, the guy could get over it. Right?

"Right, our plan. What are we gonna do about Roxas?"

"Roxas?" Riku grabbed a menu from off the table, not really hungry. The pain in his arm was ruining his appetite. "You know, recently you've stopped using his nickname. The one _you_ came up with."

Axel seemed to ponder this statement for a moment, then sighed. "Yeah. I know." His voice was soft when he said that. It made Riku wonder if he sounded like that when talking about Ellie. After all, there was no way Axel's feelings for Roxas were greater than Riku's for Ellie.

_"Stop being so competitive!"_ Kairi's words from Riku's last year in high school suddenly echoed in his head. She'd yelled at him after he and Sora got into an argument about who could get through high school first. It had been stupid of them to come up with that debate, because Riku was a year ahead of both Kairi and Sora, which was the main reason why Kairi had yelled at him.

The other reason, was because Riku won. After taking the G.E.D test and was about to leave Destiny Island. She thought it was because Riku wanted to win the bet.

He wondered briefly if Sora had told her the real reason he left Destiny Island all those years ago. He probably hadn't.

"Does your arm hurt?" Axel asked this suddenly, looking slightly concerned. Riku blinked, not realizing that he'd spaced out for a bit, and Axel had been trying to talk to him. Slowly, he shook his head.

"Nah. It's fine." He paused for a moment. "Well, I mean, it does hurt. Nails getting dug into your skin so deep that it draws blood hurts a hell of a lot, but it isn't bothering me."

Axel didn't seem convinced.

"Okay, well, back to my original question: how are we gonna keep Roxas here this weekend, and get him to the party," he muttered, crossing his arms. "That guy can be really difficult when he doesn't want to do anything, and I don't have Naminé around this time to get him to go."

"I don't think Naminé has anything to do with the reason Roxas came last year," Riku said, rolling his eyes. "He's just a pushover. We just have to figure out how to screw with his mind enough that he'll stay in Radiant Garden."

"Well, he was planning on visiting Olette I think..." Axel didn't look happy about that fact.

"Olette? One of Roxie's weirdo friends, right?"

"Yup."

"And why is he going to visit her?"

"He said it was because she understood his pain and wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't want to."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? He said that?"

"Well," Axel said, leaning back, "his exact words were, 'You guys fucked with me last year. Olette won't do that. I'm going to hang out with her.' I asked him why he didn't just stay at home, his reply, 'Riku's broken into my house too many times. I don't feel safe there.'" Axel glared at Riku, obviously blaming him.

"Sorry... It's fun to break into his house. He's so stupid," Riku laughed, not feeling guilty at all. "And you remember his exact words?"

"Of course! It's Roxas. I remember everything he's said to me," Axel said, being completely serious. Then, after a moment of silence, "Well, I remember everything everyone says, but that's not the point."

Sighing, Riku rolled his eyes. "You and your photographic memory."

"Actually, it's called an eidetic memory."

"Whatever. So, what are we going to do?"

Axel laughed and leaned forward. "I think I know what to do." He held up his hand to keep Riku from talking. "You don't have to do anything, or know what I'm going to do." An evil smirk littered his face, making Riku feel somewhat sorry for Roxas. That poor boy...

"Alright. Sounds good." He didn't really want to know what Axel had plans were.

"Oh, Riku?"

"What?"

"You might want to get your arm checked out. I've been the victim of Ellie's nails before." He smirked. "Even though she was raised by a doctor and is pretty awesome at wrapping bandages, that could still get infected."

Riku glanced down at the bandage on his arm, which was slightly red from the blood that had seeped through earlier. He didn't believe that it would get infected. Ellie had told him not to worry about it. Then again, she had been rather irritated with him.

* * *

Roxas didn't look happy.

It made Riku laugh.

No one bothered asking how Axel had talked Roxas into coming to the party, but whatever he did, it had caused Roxas to come willing to a party, bright red, and fuming. When the two of them had walked into Kairi and Ellie's apartment, where the party was being held, Ellie immediately asked Riku if Axel had told them his plan.

"I was too afraid to know," was Riku's reply. "And now I'm too freaked out to ask."

She nodded, and Riku guessed she was a little weirded out by the fact he had been afraid and freaked out.

But now, she seemed perfectly normal again, holding Riku's injured hand delicately. She was curled up next to him and currently, they were the only two who weren't making fun of Roxas for being scared of Halloween. Normally, Riku would be right there with Sora, making fun of Roxas and berating him for being so pathetic, but the fighting with Sora made him not want to be around the guy.

"Hey, Riku?" Ellie muttered quietly, glancing up at him.

"Hm?"

"I really am sorry about yesterday morning. I was just..." Ellie trailed off, looking down sadly at the bandage.

"I told you already, it's fine," he told her, pulling her chin up so she faced him. "I should have known you would freak on me." He paused for a moment then smirked. "But, it really, really hurts," he whined, hoping to tug at Ellie's heartstrings a little bit.

She smiled, then reached up to kiss him. "You're pathetic, Riku." He laughed.

"You keep telling me that, and yet you're still dating me."

There was no reply to this, only another quick kiss. Then, a loud commotion came from the other side of the room. The couple glanced over at the group of people who were currently dumping a box of fake spiders on Roxas. He was screaming at them to go to hell, while trying to escape the madness that was Axel and Sora being jerks.

Strangely, Kairi wasn't there with them. Riku noticed this immediately, as for the past two weeks, Kairi had been stuck to Sora like glue. Ellie realized this as well.

"Hey, Riku," Ellie said suddenly, pulling away from Riku.

"What?"

"Kairi's... well, she's been acting weird. It started when Naminé broke up with Roxas, and it's just gotten worse over the past couple of months." She sighed. "I think you and Sora fighting has really been getting to her."

Riku paled. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "Ellie... I know that you're concerned about Kairi, but you're her friend and roommate and-"

"Riku, you're her best friend! _You _need to go talk to her."

"I don't really want to-"  
"Get the hell into Kairi's room and go talk to her you fucking bastard," Ellie snapped pulling away from Riku. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Fine." Riku didn't want to go talk to Kairi. The two of them hadn't really had much of a conversation since he'd left Destiny Island, being too afraid of what she would say to him. However, Ellie could be very convincing when she started cussing.

So, he trotted to the other side of the apartment, making sure to avoid Ellie, who was glaring at him. It was easy to avoid Axel and Sora, who were currently pinning Roxas to the ground and arguing about whether or not they should get him really drunk. As interesting and fun as that sounded, Riku could still feel the dangerous stare of Ellie, so he kept moving.

When he finally entered Kairi's room, he was quite shocked to see her sitting on her bed with her back to the door.

"Kai?" He called out hesitantly.

She turned instantly, wiping tears from her eyes. Riku was shocked by this. He hadn't seen Kairi cry since he and Sora had saved her from that kidnapper.

"Riku? What are you doing in here? I would have thought you would be with Ellie," Kairi said, her voice bright. It was obvious she was trying to hide the fact that she had been crying, but her red eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Are you okay, Kai?" Riku asked, moving towards her. Laughing, she stood up and smiled widely.

"I'm perfectly fine! Why do you ask?"

It made Riku sad, seeing Kairi act like nothing was wrong, even though her sitting alone in a room, crying, was a pretty good indicator that she was upset about something.

Riku became determined to find out what it was.

He walked over to her, ignoring her protests, and the fact that she was telling him to go back to Ellie and she would be out in a moment. As soon as he reached her, his hands reached up to her shoulders, and pushed her down so she sat on the bed. She went silent after that, just looking up at Riku with wide eyes.

"Kairi Alrina Takedo, you are not alright. What the hell is going on with you," Riku asked, sitting on the bed next to her. "Why have you been acting so weird ever since the whole Valentine's Day thing with Roxas and Naminé? I know she is your cousin, and the two of you had become close, but this is ridiculous. And even lately you've been acting like the world is coming to an end. What's going on?"

There was a moment of silence.

Then Kairi started to cry again. Riku wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, petting her head as if she were a young child in need of comfort.

"It's just not fair!" Kairi managed to say. "Roxas is out there, and living his life, so happy and cheerful. It's like he didn't even notice how upset Naminé was!" Kairi clenched Riku's shirt as she continued to cry. "Then, when Axel and Roxas got in that car crash, and they started acting weird, then Naminé left, and... and... it's just not right!"

"It's going to be okay," Riku muttered soothingly. "I know that things have been rough with the whole Naminé and Roxas issue but-"

"She won't even talk to me anymore!" Kairi interrupted. "I don't know where she is or if everything's okay. I know _nothing_! And Roxas is out there with Axel, being happy and Axel's wearing the necklace that Roxas originally got for Naminé. How is any of that okay? How can Roxas live with himself after what he did to her?"

"Kai-"

"No, it's not going to just be okay, Riku. I know you and Ellie are _so_ happy together, but it's not like that for everyone. I've lost everyone, Riku. My parents are dead, so is my grandmother, Naminé's gone for who knows how long, you and I haven't had a real conversation since you ditched us nine years ago, and now Sora's being distant."

Kairi pulled away from Riku and stood up, tears still streaming down her face.

"To make matters worse, you and Sora aren't even talking to each other. I don't even know why!" Kairi saying that was like slap in the face to Riku. He never could have guessed that Sora would be acting distant around Kairi, or that she was upset by the fact they hadn't talked much, and even Naminé leaving seemed to be having more of an effect on Kairi than Riku had originally thought. It was hard for him to understand why she had been keeping all this in.

"Look, Kai, I'm sorry about that Sora's being distant, but-"

"But what, Riku? He's going through something rough? You are too? How do you think I feel? I thought I was your guys' fucking friend! I thought that maybe you guys were being moody and weird, and all of this would stop soon, but no! It's been how long since the fight? Three months? Tell me what it's about!"

"I can't. I just-"

"Tell me, Riku! I want to know why my family is fighting so much! Why the only two guys I've ever loved hate each other! Did Sora beat you at something? Did he say something horrible to you?"

"Please don't get involved, Kairi. It's not something you need to kn-" Riku started to say.

But, his sentence was interrupted by the sudden sharp pain of Kairi's hand coming in contact with his cheek as she slapped him. Riku blinked, confused.

"Tell me. I want to know what's going on with you!"

"I... I... I just told Sora the truth about why I left nine years ago," Riku managed to stutter, still shocked by the fact Kairi had hit him. Hard. And without any remorse. She was really angry. "Then he said something that pissed me off and we got in a fight and-"

"Why did you leave?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"Riku, you're my fucking brother! Or, as far as I'm concerned you are. No matter what you tell me, I'm not going to hate, or judge you, or anything!" She reached down and grabbed Riku's hands. "I just want to know."

Riku gulped, then sighed. Should he tell her? Would it be good for her to know? Or would it destroy their relationship? As Riku pondered this, a small thought in the back of his head appeared: if he didn't tell her, their friendship would be gone.

"I left because of who I was in love with."

"What?"

"And Sora didn't seem to be happy with who it was."

"Who?"

"Him."

* * *

_"I don't care. You two need to talk this out! I know it's hard for you guys, but stop being idiots and talk to each other!"_

Kairi's words were still resonating in Riku's head, and they were the only thing keeping him from bolting out of the closet where he, and Sora, and been forced into by Kairi. Of course, she'd been helped by Ellie, Axel, and surprisingly Roxas, but the fact that she pushed Sora into the closet by herself had still be rather impressive.

Impressive, despite the fact that Riku was pissed at her, and Sora was cursing under his breath about how his wonderful Halloween had turned into a horrible night being stuck in Kairi's closet with Riku. Riku wasn't happy about the situation either, but he kept his profanity to himself, figuring that Ellie and Kairi were listening to make sure everything went well.

For a second, he wondered if Sora thought about that as well, but the thought went away when Sora said, "You're not going to do anything to me, are you?"

Riku was amazed at how stupid Sora was being. The two had been friends for twenty-three years, and never once had Riku _done_ anything to him. Even after realizing his feelings, Riku kept his hands to himself.

"Of course I am," Riku replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I'm so going to fucking rape you in Kairi's closet even though I have a girlfriend who I love, and I've _never fucking done anything to you_."

"Hey, I don't know," Sora muttered. "You've already apparently fallen in love with me. For all I know you could lose control and do something."

"That was nine years ago, Sora. I'm over it now."

"Uh huh."

"You know what Sora, just go to hell." Riku was getting fed up with his best friend acting like an idiot. "Quit acting like some kinda victim. _I_ was the one who was dealing with all the mental shit that comes with knowing you can never have the person you want."

"Oh, that's really reassuring." Sora stood up and began examining the doorknob. "Like I'm supposed to believe that."

Anger rising, Riku stood up as well, glaring. "What's your problem, Sora? I thought that you would at least try and be understanding, but no. You're being a jack ass who taunts me at every possible moment. I thought that maybe, just maybe after nine years of hiding it, and five years of having a girlfriend would stop you from acting like this, but no. You're acting like the end of the world is coming." He took a step towards Sora. "Well guess what. You're world is fine. Stop acting like such a baby."

"Look who's talking! You're the one who ran away from this mess when you were seventeen, not me. And think about how I feel. Here I thought you'd been in love with Kairi, and you were upset because she and I started going out, but that's not what happened at all. I'm trying to figure out if I can still be your friend, Riku, knowing this."

"Why couldn't we be friends? I told you already: I don't feel that way about you anymore. You're just a friend now."

Sora started laughing. "Yeah, and what about when you and Ellie break up? Huh? Will your 'feelings' come back? What am I gonna do then?"

"First of all," Riku growled, "Ellie and I aren't going to break up. Second of all, feelings don't just come and go. The ones I felt for you are gone. Completely gone! You don't have to worry about a single damn thing!"

"Yeah. Right."  
"That's it," Riku exclaimed. The frustration had built up beyond the point of control, and Riku was sick of it. He was sick of fighting with his best friend, sick of keeping secrets from Sora and Kairi, sick of not knowing whether or not he was going to be able to face his friends in the future.

He was sick of running away.

Closing the distance between himself and Sora, Riku grabbed his friends collar and shoved him up against the door, before leaning down and kissing him.

It was over in a second, not even enough time for Sora to fully react to what Riku had just done. When Riku pulled away, he saw that his best friend's eyes were wide, and his mouth was open slightly.

"You... you... you just...," Sora stuttered.

"Kissed you? Yeah, I did. Get over it."

"Why did you-"

"To prove a point! I felt nothing! There was no emotion connected to that," Riku snapped, crossing his arms. "I. Don't. Love. You." The two guys stared at each other for a moment, anger and confusion filling the air. Finally, Riku sighed. "I just want my best friend back."

Sora started laughing. Maybe it was the tension he felt, or there was actually amusement. Riku couldn't tell why, but it irritated him.

"I agree," Sora said, a cheeky grin on his face. "Friends?"

Riku snorted. Sora recovered from being kissed by Riku way to quickly. But, he extended his hand anyway. "Friends." Sora took the hand and shook it, grinning. "Now get the hell out there and apologize to Kairi for being a shitty boyfriend."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Riku watched quietly as Ellie unlocked the door to his apartment. Normally, he would be the one to do so, but Ellie had confiscated his keys after deciding he'd had too much to drink to drive. Of course, Riku would have really had no issue driving. He never really got drunk enough to be affected, but he liked having an excuse to be with Ellie.

"You okay?" Ellie asked, opening the door. "You haven't said a word since we left the party."

"Yeah, I'm fine." A lie. Not the first one he'd told that night.

"Hm..." She didn't comment on what Riku said, thankfully for him, instead just walking inside. "You know, that was kinda a fun party. And you and Sora are friends again. Roxas just seemed confused about the whole thing." She laughed. Riku said nothing, only watching her.

But watching her wasn't enough for him. Just seeing her there, back to him, talking about the evening as she took off her shoes, preparing to stay for a little while, wasn't enough for Riku. Most of the time it was. He could just watch her from a distance at work, or in public, but...

"Hey Riku, I don't think I'm going to stay late today. I have some things to do tomor-" Riku suddenly wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her back towards him. The last word in Ellie's sentence got caught in her throat after Riku's sudden action. "Riku?"

"Stay with me tonight?" Riku muttered, tightening his grip around Ellie's neck. He just wanted to be with her.

"I... Riku... I can't... I have to- whoa!" Riku quickly grabbed Ellie's shoulders and spun her around she she faced him. Her eyes were wide with surprise as Riku leaned down and kissed her deeply. After a few moments, Ellie managed to pull away from her boyfriend, despite the fact that he was holding her tightly to his body.

"Riku," she breathed, "what's going on?"

"I _really_ want to fuck you," Riku whispered, shooting Ellie's own words from four years ago back at her. She flushed and tried to speak again, but Riku wouldn't let her.

As he kissed her again, he pushed her farther into the apartment, not caring that his shoes were on, or the door was still open. In fact, he didn't care about anything at that moment. Just that he was there, with Ellie.

Eventually, Ellie stopped moving backwards, having hit a wall, and she let out a tiny gasp. Riku, however, had no intention of stopping anything, and pressed up against her, slowly teasing off her shirt.

After nails threatened to dig into his skin again, Riku pulled away and watched Ellie curiously. She was breathing heavily, her face pink and lips slightly bruised. Riku chuckled slightly, earning a nasty glare from Ellie.

"I love you, Ellie," he told her. "I love you more than anything else in this world." He kissed her again quickly. "Please... please don't ever leave me."

"Riku..."

"Please?"

"... I won't."


	40. If everything seems to be

**7**

**Hm... don't have much to say about this chapter other than sorry. You'll see why.**

**Read, enjoy, review, and whenever things are good with my beta's computer and my internet status, I'll get another chapter up. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: If everything seems to be going according to plan, you've overlooked something**

* * *

Riku and Sora weren't fighting anymore

Kairi was back to her old self.

According to Olette, she and Hayner were doing well, and Pence decided to move back to Radiant Garden next June.

My parents were no longer fighting.

And Axel had stopped acting like an alien/freak of nature around me. Well... most of the time.

I'd have to say that my life was pretty good.

For the first time since I graduated from high school.

It was kinda a nice feeling to actually have something nice going on in my life. I mean, yeah, being with Naminé was amazing, but Axel was always bugging me, and Sora and Riku were acting like weirdos who were convinced I was sleeping with Axel, so it sort of ruined the whole thing.

Of course, those things haven't really changed, but Axel had a reason to bug me, and the two weirdos were right. So, I really didn't care anymore. Except when Riku and Sora decided it was fun to tease me at work, in front of of my father.

That was really annoying.

But they weren't with me right now. It was just me, and Axel, in his office. It's amazing, actually seeing Axel do his job for once.

"You know, Roxie, you were always getting on my case for not doing work, and now you're the one ditching," Axel teased. I had to roll my eyes. I'd already finished my work for the day, which was why I was in his office in the first place.

"Yeah, I'm totally ditching work," I told him, leaning back in the chair I was sitting in. "Which is why I'm helping _you_ finish your paper work." The look on Axel's face was hilarious. Even though he was a complete genius, the lazy ass refused to do his work without me being there. I think he just wanted to spend time with me, which was weird, because he seemed to be pretty much attached to me.

Every second.

Of every day.

"I never said I needed your help," Axel muttered. He was right, of course. Never once has he _told_ me that he needed my help, but it was implied he wanted me there.

"Sure you did. Just... not out loud." I had to laugh at the disbelieving look on Axel's face. He just shook his head and went back to his work, which was kinda weird. But nice. 'Weird, but nice.' ….Does that even make sense?

"Roxas, do you know why I have my own office?" Axel asked. He put his pen down on his desk, smirking. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just shook my head. "It's so I can do my work without being distracted."

"Right. That's why you used to stalk me into my office when I first started working here," I countered, still laughing. "You're being a hypocrite." Axel didn't look too happy to hear me call him a hypocrite, but I didn't care. It was true, and he always said I needed to be more honest with him for some odd reason.

"That's different," Axel muttered. "I was actually done with my work. You weren't distracting me at all."

"Yeah, well you were distracting me!" I snapped, suddenly irritated. Axel had a strange tendency to be somewhat selfish, only thinking about how things affected him, and not how I'm affected by the madness that was his nonsense.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't mean to _distract _you," Axel said with a grin. "I guess I'm just so irresistible that you couldn't take your eyes off me." I raised an eyebrow, completely sickened by that notion. It was easy to take my eyes off Axel, and that's not how he distracted me.

"Uh huh. _I_ was the one with the problem. You _totally_ weren't the one flirting with me, or tackling me to the ground, or pinning me to the wall, or my desk." For some reason, this caused Axel to blush. He seemed embarrassed, but at the same time like he was planning something. He only got that way before something bad happened to me.

….

Yeah... I'll go with bad.

But, Axel didn't say anything else, he just looked back down at my paper work. I became afraid, but at the same time, irritated.

And I don't know why.

So, I decided it was time for me to _actually_ distract Axel. Slowly, I stood up and walked around to the other side of the room, feeling like it was time to get back at Axel for all the times he got me off track for work. There was only one way to do that.

"Roxas, what are you doing?" Axel asked as I slid onto his desk.

"Hm... I don't know. What am I doing?" I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I think I'd gone insane, to tell you the truth. However, Axel seemed to find my flirting amusing. He smirked, putting his hands in his chin and glanced over at me. "Can I help you?"

"That's a very good question," Axel replied. "But it would have just been easier to ask if I was going to do anything to you." The next thing I know, Axel's standing up and grabbing my shoulders. He pushed me down on the desk, spilling a cup of pencils and scattering some of the papers he was working on. I was only somewhat surprised by this.

But I was completely amused.

"Hey, Axel, there's no need for this." Axel's eyes darkened a bit, and he leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Don't say that. After all, _you_ came onto _me_." He pulled away, smirking. "Besides, I doubt you actually have a problem with what's going on right now."

"Actually, I do." Even though Axel was right about me coming onto him, I didn't actually want him to do anything. "We're in the office, after all." Of course, if I really didn't want anything to happen, then I would have stayed on the other side of the desk, and kept my mouth shut.

Man, my mind confuses me sometimes.

Axel seemed more amused by my obvious statement of where we were than anything else. "You do realize that no one ever comes into this office," he told me. "So you have nothing to worry about." I had to smile at his logic.

"I guess that's true."

"There's no guessing here, Roxie." Without another word, Axel leaned down to press his lips against mine. My hands moved to the back of his head, gladly accepting the fact that he was kissing me.

Well, at first I was glad.

Then someone decided to show up.

"Please you two, save it for some place that _isn't_ here," Ellie said, quite amused. Immediately, Axel moved away from me and I sat up, my face in my hands, completely red. The last thing I'd been expecting was Ellie showing up. Maybe Riku, or Sora, but not Ellie.

"E-Ellie? What are you doing here?" Axel laughed nervously. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his hands wringing like he was nervous. Which was weird. He was normally really confident, no matter what happened.

"Looking for you," Ellie replied. I heard her walk into the room, but I was still too embarrassed to turn around. "I have a very important matter I need to talk to you about."

"Alright, talk away."

There was a moment of silence, and I peeked a glance behind me. Ellie had her arms crossed, and she was glaring at Axel. "Good. Roxas, scram."

"Huh?" I slid off the desk and turned around to face Ellie. She didn't even bother looking at me, still glaring at Axel like he had done the worst thing possible. I really wanted to know what it was about.

"Ellie, if there's something you need to talk to me about," Axel mused, wrapping his arms around my neck and resting his chin on my shoulder, "then you can talk about it in front of Roxas here." I completely agreed with him, but it seems Ellie didn't. She turned slightly, and pointed at the door, her eyes never leaving Axel.

"Roxas, get the fuck out of here before I tell your father what I just saw."

I was by the door in an instant. Yeah, Dad was okay with mine and Axel's relationship. But he had one rule:

_No fraternization at work._

I wondered how many times the two of us had broken that rule.

"Hey, Roxas!" I heard Axel call out to me right before I closed the door. I glanced back. He was really pale, like he knew what Ellie wanted to talk to him about, and he wasn't at all happy with the idea. "I'll see you tonight, kay?"

That was curious. Normally Axel just showed up at my apartment randomly, but this time he was telling me he was coming over.

There was something up with Axel.

"See ya."

* * *

Axel practically tackled me when he got to my place.

The sad thing is, I didn't even let him in.

Turns out, he'd stolen my key and made a copy of it so he could sneak up at me any time. I wanted to yell at him for doing that, but honestly, I couldn't do it. It made me slightly happy that he wanted to be with me all the time. Which I should have known, as he wanted me to move in with him instead of getting a place on my own.

Sometimes I wonder about that guy.

Only sometimes.

"Hey, Axel, what did Ellie want?" I asked once Axel had let go of me, and we'd moved to the living room. "She seemed really mad about whatever it was. I don't think I've ever seen her like that before."

Axel didn't answer me for a moment, instead just plopping down onto the closest couch to us. Intrigued by his silence, I followed suit, watching his every move. After a while, I asked him the question again. I got a response this time.

"It's nothing, Roxie," he said. "Absolutely nothing."

"Hm..." I didn't believe him, of course. Axel had a tendency to lie to me when he was angry about something. Which was hypocritical, as he never wanted me to lie to him.

"Anyway, I want to do something tonight," Axel said suddenly, grinning over at me.

"What...?" I was hesitant. Axel had a weird view of this world, and there was a huge chance this "something" of his would end up with me either embarrassed, hurt, or...

I am _not_ going to finish that sentence.

"Remember that time you and I got stuck driving down to Hallow Bastion together?" I nodded. "Well, I decided that I don't know enough about you, and you don't know enough about me, so we're going to play that game!"

….

I thought he was kidding at first, so I laughed. But he wasn't joking. He was completely and totally serious about that stupid ten questions game that I vowed never to play again.

Why does the world hate me?

"Look, Axel, there are other ways to learn about each other. We don't need to-"

"Well, it's either that or we can continue where we left off..." Axel moved closer to me, but I was really in no mood to do anything. I think part of me was convinced Ellie would come storming in again. Which was weird.

"Alright, alright. I'll answer your damn ten questions."

"Yay!" Sometimes I think Axel's more of a little kid than a grown man. "Alright! First question!" I groaned, leaning my head back against the couch. This was not going to be any fun for me. "How many girlfriends have you had?"

First question... his first question just had to be an embarrassing one. I blushed and looked down at my hands.

"Does it really matter?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know how much of a ladies man you were," Axel laughed. He winked at me and I asked him what he meant. "I've seen the way heads turn when you walk around. So many girls seem to be attracted to you, so I'm wondering how many girls have had the guts to ask you out."

I so did not feel comfortable talking to him about this. "Look, Axel, it doesn't matter, okay? I've had a few girlfriends, but all of them were just two or three month things. No big deal." I didn't think my answer was good enough for Axel, but he just continued on anyway.

"Alright, question two: What's your favorite color?"

An annoyingly embarrassing question followed by an easy one he should know. "Blue."

"Favorite food?"

"I don't really care. Axel what kinds of questions are these? I mean, you just asked me-"

"Did you ever have sex with Naminé?"

"Axel!"

"What? It's a legitimate question?"

"Yeah, one I'm not going to answer." It was none of his business if I'd slept with Naminé. Besides, it was weird that he was asking me stupid, simple questions, then moved onto something really weird. I think this guy was screwing with me. "I'll give that question back to you. Seven left."

"Fine, fine. Do you have any musical talent other than singing?"

"Um... no."

"Did you play any sports?"

"I used to play soccer, then I took up fencing for a little while, but that's it."

"How did you and Hayner become friends?"

I groaned. I didn't want to think about Hayner, much less tell Axel how the two of us became friends. The son of a bitch still wasn't talking to me. Olette said he just needed time, but I doubted he would ever have another conversation with me again.

"I'm waiting, Roxie."

Rolling my eyes, I answered, "On the first day of pre-school, Hayner and I were sitting next to each other at lunch, and he tried to eat my cookies. I punched him in the face for it, the pushed him off his chair. After getting in a lot of trouble, Hayner said I was awesome and we should be friends." Lame storybook story, I know. But, that's what happened. "Four more."

Axel seemed to be frantically thinking of questions to ask me. I didn't doubt that this whole ten question thing had been a spur of the moment ordeal because he wanted to change the subject.

"How well did you do in school?" He finally asked.

"Um... I was in the middle of my class," I muttered, feeling embarrassed. Here Axel was, a genius who took his G.E.D test when he was fifteen and passed after being home schooled, and I was too stupid to even be in the top one hundred of my class.

"Really? Oh." He seemed amused by my answer. It pissed me off. "Next question! What was your New Year's resolution?" Of course he had to ask about that.

"I wanted to figure out what was going on in your head, and why you kissed me," I answered truthfully. There was no point in hiding it.

"Something that was answered quite quickly after that? Interesting..." Axel mused. I wanted to punch him for making fun of me. Or, what I thought was making fun of me. Suddenly, he smirked. "What was your first impression of me in front of the elevator that fateful day in May?" Another question that was easy to answer.

I laughed. "I thought you were a freak of nature. One more question."

"Excellent." This could not be good. "How did you feel after I kissed you for the first time?"

I think my blush was answer enough for him. He laughed and patted me on the top of my head before kissing me on the forehead. This gesture just made my face even redder, but I honestly didn't mind.

"My turn," I muttered, wondering how I could get back at Axel for embarrassing me a couple of time. Nothing really came to mind. "How long were you home schooled for?" That was my first question.

Axel didn't seem to want to answer at first. "I actually wasn't home schooled for very long," he eventually said. "Really, from the time I was eight to when I was eleven, then I was sent to a high school to finish my education. I graduated when I was fifteen." So he lied to me the first time... wonderful.

"Why did you tell me that you took your G.E.D then?"

"Because people tend to make fun of me when I tell them I was in high school as an eleven year old." He sounded pissed for some reason. "Eight more questions."

Damn. I couldn't think of eight more questions to ask him! I could barely think of one more. Actually, I could only think of one more question to ask him. So I did.

"Hey, Axel?"

"Hm?"  
"What happened to your real parents?"

Axel was about as white as he had been in the office earlier with Ellie. For quite a while, he said nothing, just sitting there, but eventually, he stood up and turned to face me.

"It's not important, Roxas." He reached down and grabbed my wrists. "It's not important at all." I was suddenly yanked from the couch and into a warm embrace.

"Axel?"

* * *

The bright light from my window woke me up the next morning. It was somewhat headache inducing, especially since Axel had kept me up really late the night before. But it wasn't a bad thing. Axel had been so gentle and sweet during the night. It was different than how he normally was.

_"I love you, Roxas."_ He'd muttered that to me so many times, I'd lost count. Just the thought made me flush.

Slowly, I turned over, expecting to see Axel sleeping next to me, but he wasn't there. Confused, I sat up and glanced around. There was no sign of him.

"Axel?" I called out, slipping out of bed. "Axel, where are you?" There was no reply. It wasn't like Axel to do this.

I became afraid.

"Axel!" Bursting into the main part of my apartment, I looked around. He wasn't there. However, there was a strange piece of paper sitting on the table. I hadn't seen it there the night before. Next to it, was the dove necklace I'd given to Axel.

Hesitantly, I stumbled over to it and picked up the paper. It wasn't in my hands for long, as I dropped it to run and find my phone so I could call Ellie. For, what was written on the paper was shocking, and disturbing.

_I have something to do. I don't know when I'll be back. Don't come looking for me. I love you. ~Axel_


	41. Analogies are lies grownups tell

**6  
**

**So, I've decided that people are screwed up and disgusting. The reason why? I read The Crucible today. Anyone who's read that play will understand. For those of you who haven't; it's a play written in the 1950's that takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. It's disturbing. The kids do something that makes some of them sick, and then they begin blaming women in the town, saying they've been affecting by witchcraft. **

**Now, it's not a completely true story, but the worst part of it all, is that it's supposed to symbolize how the "Are you, or have you ever been communist," time is similar to the Salem Witch Trials.**

**And that's what makes me sick. I suggest you read that play. It's not hard. I read it in an hour. And it will open your eyes.**

**Oh, I also saw my uncle (who's a but scientist) manhandle some weird ass bugs. Today was an interesting day...  
**

**Anyway, messed up chapter this week... it's a bit early because I'm currently not home, and I won't be able to have internet at/around midnight. Get over it :P**

**So, I'll have another chapter for you next week, but maybe not the week after that because the chapter after next is about 40 pages long and will take a while to beta. Sorry. Also, thanks for those who have answered the poll. I appreciate it.**

**I'll see you guys next week!**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: Analogies are lies grown-ups tell**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Axel disappeared. The note he'd written had been read so many times it was no longer legible, but Ellie still held it in her hands, trying to decipher the words on the page. She was racking her brain, trying to figure out why Axel would suddenly leave, without even telling her where he was going.

Even though she already knew where Axel was going. She'd just had a conversation with him about it. Just warned him that he was getting in over his head, but he still left. He still vanished in the middle of the night, leaving Roxas alone with the note.

_I have something to do. I don't know when I'll be back. Don't come looking for me. I love you. ~Axel_

Ellie bowed her head, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She was at work, she shouldn't be showing such emotions, and yet the fact that her best friend, and cousin, had gone off to find his father was really affecting her.

She began to doubt that she could come to work anymore.

The memory of Roxas calling her two weeks ago began to appear in her head, and Ellie tried to shake it away.

But it wouldn't leave.

_"Roxas? Why are you callin-"_

"Axel's gone."

_"What?"_

"Axel! He's gone!"

_"What are you talking about?"_

"He was here last night, and then he wasn't here when I woke up, and he left a note saying he has something to do and not to look for him!"

Roxas had sounded on the verge of tears when he called. He obviously wanted Ellie to tell him what was going on, and that Axel was just joking around, but Ellie hung up before she could say anything else. She didn't want Roxas to know how much she was panicking.

"Ellie?" Kairi was suddenly in Ellie's office, and Ellie looked up, surprised, clenching the note tightly.

"Can I help you?" Ellie tried to keep her voice from cracking, attempting to sound professional. Not that it would matter. Kairi had been there when Ellie got the call from Roxas, and she had seen how upset Ellie was, and heard the rants about how stupid Axel was being and he should just let his past go.

Let it go and move on with his life.

"Riku's really worried about you," Kairi said, sitting down in a vacant chair in front of Ellie's desk. Ellie groaned. "I'm serious! He thinks you're going to drive off a cliff or something."

"Drive off a cliff?"

"You and Roxas. Both of you are really upset right now, and it's worrying." Kairi grabbed Ellie's hand that held the note. "Cloud's already sent Roxas home for the day. I think you should follow suit."

Ellie was speechless. She had _never_ gone home early. She always stayed, no matter how many issues she was having in her social life. Keep work and home separate. That's the rule she lived by. After a few moments of awkward silence, Ellie stood up.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm perfectly fine."

Kairi just shook her head. "Hun, you look horrible, you don't talk to anyone anymore, and you haven't let that note go since Roxas gave it to you." She paused for a minute. "I think it's time for you to go home, and Cloud agrees with me." Standing up, Kairi smiled slightly. "Riku's going to be here soon to take you home. Okay?"

Ellie couldn't believe this was happening. Never in her life had she been sent home before. She never showed weakness in front of other people, never cried, never let people know she was hurt, or sick, or upset... nothing. For a second, she wondered if Axel disappearing was affecting her more than she originally thought.

"Get some sleep, Ellie. Axel will be back soon," Kairi said in a reassuring voice. "It's going to be okay."

"Why did this have to happen?" Ellie asked suddenly, collapsing in her chair. "Why did Axel have to leave now? Right when things were finally looking up?"

Kairi smiled. "You would know better that I would."

"Yeah... I guess so."

* * *

_"Have you heard from-_"

"No Roxas, I haven't. If I'd heard from him, I would have told you," Ellie muttered. She was walking in the parking garage with Riku, heading to his car so he could drive her home. Mr. Strife had come to her office earlier, a rare occurrence, and let Ellie know that she was officially on leave from work for a while. This didn't sit well with Ellie. Riku had to drag her out of the office.

And now Roxas was calling her, asking if she'd heard from Axel. Again.

_"Okay... sorry to bug you."_ Then he hung up. Roxas didn't talk very often anymore. He just came to work, did what he was supposed to, and left. He didn't talk to anyone, or even leave his office until he was done. Ellie was surprised Mr. Strife hadn't done anything before now.

"Is Roxas..."

"He's fine." Ellie cut Riku off on purpose, not really wanting to talk to him. She didn't want to talk to anyone, actually.

"And you-"

"Fine."

"Yeah, sure you are. That's why-"

"Let's just go."

"-you won't let me finish my sentence."

Ellie just continued walking, not really caring that Riku was obviously irritated with her. Or, she didn't care until he grabbed her arm and spun her around so she faced him. She was too surprised to really react act as Riku pulled her into a hug.

"Ellie, stop acting like this. Please, tell me what's going on with you! I know you're upset by the whole thing, but you won't tell anyone." He hugged her tighter. "I thought you were going to start talking to me more."

"Riku, please, let me go," Ellie muttered, her voice cracking.

"No."

It was too much for Ellie. She let go of all the fears, all the anger, all the pain and betrayal that she felt when she found out about Axel.

She let it all go, and cried.

* * *

Ellie didn't remember much about what happened after she began to cry. One second, she knew she was sobbing into Riku's shirt, allowing him to whisper words of comfort to her, then she was waking up in his bed with a splitting headache. Vague memories of Riku picking her up and carrying her to his car were there, as well as falling asleep next to Riku's warm body.

But that was it.

Nothing else was there. No memories of coming to Riku's apartment, or driving, or having a conversation with Riku.

Absolutely nothing.

"Feeling any better?" Ellie jumped. She hadn't realized Riku was in the room, much less standing right beside her. Quickly, she sat up and pulled the blanket up to her chin, feeling embarrassed for having cried her eyes out in front of Riku. "That's good," he said with a small laugh. The bed creaked as he sat on the edge of it, hands clenching in the sheets tightly.

"I'm sorry," Ellie managed to mutter, looking away. "I didn't mean to just cry like that."

"It's fine."

"No! I shouldn't have lost my composure like that, and then to have you bring me here instead of home..." Ellie trailed off, blushing from embarrassment. Riku just laughed, then glanced over at Ellie with soft eyes.

"I wanted that to happen. You know that right?" Ellie's shocked expression seemed to amuse him. "There have only been a few times that I've seen you really have some kind of emotional break, Ellie. In five years, only three times: after Axel and Roxas got in that car crash, when you told me about your parents, and a few hours ago."

"So?"

"Do you know what Kairi used to tell me when we were younger?"

"You're not making any sense, Riku. What does that have to do with-"

"Hiding your emotions isn't good for you."

Ellie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I don't hide my emotions!"

"Sure you don't."

"I don't! I alway-" Ellie started to say, but suddenly Riku leaned over and kissed her, shutting her up immediately.

"Haven't been able to do that in a while," Riku whispered after pulling away. Ellie could only sit there, red in the face, stuttering to herself. She hadn't been expecting Riku to do that. It was true though, that Riku hadn't kissed Ellie for two weeks. She'd been too distracted to really spend any time with him.

"Riku... I'm sorry."

"Why do you keep apologizing to me? You don't have a reason to apologize."

"I-" Ellie stopped, looking down at her hands. "I don't know why... I've just..." She sighed. She couldn't even think straight with the headache pounding in her skull. This was one of the reasons she never cried. It brought too much pain, both physically and mentally.

"So," Riku started to say, "what is it about Axel that sets you off so much? I mean, I know you guys are close, but it's like you're in love with him or something." Riku looked completely serious, but Ellie couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous that notion was. "I'm not joking, Ellie. I know you guys met in the orphanage, but what made the two of you so close?"

Ellie didn't know how to respond. How could she explain to Riku her relationship with Axel? Was it possible to explain to him how much she cared about Axel? How she was the one who found Axel in the streets on the snowy night? How the two of them were outcasted by the others in the orphanage? Could she tell him how life when they were kids was awful, and the only people they had were each other?

Could she tell him?

Suddenly, there was a hand on Ellie's cheek. She glanced up to see Riku watching her curiously, waiting for her to answer him. She sighed and pushed him away, turning her back to him.

"You know that my parents died when I was four, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And that I met Axel not long after that in the orphanage, after he was found by the authorities?"

"Ellie, you already told me all this."

"Yeah, well it's not true."

"Uh huh- wait, what?"

Slipping out of bed, Ellie headed over to the door. Riku followed her quickly, calling out that she needed to stop and explain what she had just said, but Ellie didn't really want to do it. She didn't want to tell him about it. And yet, she had to.

"Ellie, why did you say that then and then suddenly leave the room?" Riku asked. "Oh wait, you're probably hungry. Kairi told me you haven't been eating well, and you slept through dinner, and-"

"Wow, Riku, you sound like some kind of pathetic house wife. I'm not hungry, I just feel like I'm suffocating in the room," Ellie said, trying not to laugh. She walked over to the couch closest to the door and sat down. Riku followed suit.

"Okay... so, what did you mean that it wasn't true? That's the story Axel tells as well."

Ellie mused this for a while, then shook her head. "I don't really know why Axel made that part up. I guess he was just embarrassed..."

"About what?"

"That I found him."

"What?" Riku looked like he didn't believe what Ellie was saying, but he didn't say else as she continued her story.

"I was in the orphanage for three months, and I was getting really sick of everything that had to do with people. So, on Christmas Eve, I decided I was going to run away from the orphanage. I decided that since I was going to be five the next day, I could take care of my self for while living on the streets. Of course, I didn't realize that it was going to be really cold, and snowing that evening."

"Wait, wait," Riku interrupted, holding up a hand. "You actually did something so stupid?"

"Riku, I'm trying to tell a story. Yes, I did something stupid. Despite what Roxas says, I'm only human."

"Oh... okay... then..."

"Anyway, I was walking down the streets of Hallow Bastion, feeling really sorry for myself when I head a noise. It sounded like someone crying. I didn't want to know who it was, because I thought it was just some snot nosed kid who was feeling sorry for themselves. But, I ended up running into them anyway. It was a little boy, younger than me, with red hair."

"Axel?"

"Riku, don't make me tell you to shut up again."

"Sorry."

"He was curled into ball in some back alley, shivering, whimpering. At first I thought he was just an idiot, but when I looked closer, I saw he was really skinny, like he hadn't eaten anything in a long time. I decided to wake him up so I could ask him what was going on, but he wouldn't wake up. I got scared. He reminded me of how my parents were. So, I gave him my coat and ran off to find someone who would help me."

Ellie paused, trying to compose herself. Just thinking about how Axel looked, with his ragged clothing, tiny body, chest barely rising. She had been convinced he was going to die.

"You okay?" Riku asked. "You don't have to-"

"Anyway, I ran into a lady who worked at the orphanage, and I brought her back with me to where Axel was. She brought us back to the orphanage, and everything seemed fine, but Axel got really sick. Malnourished, with hypothermia. Not a good combination in a three year old boy. The head of the orphanage brought him to the hospital closest to where we lived. I tagged along. I guess I felt responsible for him. So while I was there, strangely enough, I met my adoptive father, Ansem. Apparently, he was an actual doctor for years before becoming a scientist."

"Wait," Riku interrupted again. Ellie glared at him, not enjoying the fact that she'd been interrupted, but he ignored her this time, continuing on. "So, you met the guy who ended up adopting you because Axel got sick?"

"That's what I said."

"So, was he looking to adopt someone before that, or-"

"He always told me that he wanted to adopt, but he was too busy to deal with the paper work." Ellie smiled sadly, thinking of the conversation where Ansem had told her all of this. "But, it seems that when he saw me in the hospital, I reminded him of someone, and he decided then he wanted to adopt me."

"So, it wasn't some weird-"

"Nope. He also wanted to adopt Axel, take care of him, but his brother, Xemnas, got to it before he could."

Riku looked completely lost. "Okay then..."

"Don't worry about it. It's not important."

"Hm..." Riku muttered something under his breath, like he was trying to decide what to ask Ellie next. "I guess that kinda answers why you guys are close. You did save his life, but you seem to be too close for _just_ that to have happened."

Ellie leaned her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. She'd hoped that if Riku found out how they were adopted, and that she and Axel met because he was about to die in a snowstorm, then Riku would leave her alone. But of course, that wouldn't happen. She should have known.

"I was there when Axel woke up. Ansem was in the room as well, getting ready to examine Axel for cuts and bruises that had been missed, just to make sure he didn't have any other real health issues. Do you know what the first thing Axel did when he woke up was?"

"No..."

"When he woke up, he saw Ansem first, and he curled into a ball, pulling the blankets over his head, crying; 'Don't hurt me. I'm sorry, don't hurt me Daddy'."

The silence that filled the room after Ellie said this was sickening. Ellie was too afraid to see what Riku's reaction to that sentence was, even though she could guess that he was startled, and probably disgusted that that was the first thing a kid would say. Despite what Riku let on, he loved children a lot, like Sora. He would never admit it to someone, though.

Finally, Ellie chanced a peek at the man sitting next to her, and was surprised to see him sitting there with a blank expression on his face.

"Riku?"

"His dad..." That seemed to be all Riku could manage to say. "Never mind. Continue."

"O-Okay." Ellie didn't know what to do. Riku's reaction to that was interesting, to say the least, but she didn't have time to comment on it. "After a while, Ansem and a nurse were able to calm Axel down, but he wouldn't talk to anyone. Vexen came in and examined him, having been a psychiatrist back then, and he said that Axel was most likely traumatized to the point where he could no longer trust men, and that he was afraid of them."

Riku found his voice this time. "Afraid of men? Axel? What?"

"I know, hard to believe, isn't it," Ellie said. "He obviously isn't anymore, and according to him it's thanks to Roxas that he no longer has any issues with it, but who knows. All that matters is for seven years after I found Axel, he hardly ever talked to a male. I mean, he didn't really talk anyway, but it was worse if the conversation was with a guy. I guess you could say I felt sorry for him, and that's why I began really talking to him. In the hospital, he and I played games together, and even though he was a hell of a lot smarter than I was, even back then, I enjoyed his company. When he was brought back to the orphanage, before Xemnas and Saïx adopted him, no one would really talk to him because they were afraid of his hair color, so I was the only one who hung around him. Naturally, I got ignored by the others as well.

"Things didn't really improve when we entered elementary school, especially since Axel excelled quickly in school. I guess that tenth graders didn't appreciate the fact that a seven year old could do their homework and pass all their tests without even trying while they struggled with it. Axel became really cocky after a while, and things got really bad with him and other people at school, so Saïx pulled him out to home-school him. I stayed Axel's only friend, just as he stayed mine. No one really liked me. I was the creepy orphan girl with gold eyes and a freak for a cousin. Not a good combination."

"So," Riku said, interrupting Ellie again, "you're basically saying that you and Axel have been pretty much the only two people in your lives, and that's why you're so close?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Ellie laughed, trying to hold back annoying tears. She didn't want to be thinking about this. "Until I met Terra, Ven, and Aqua in high school, I had no friends other than Axel, and Demyx when he decided to stop being a weirdo and actually talk to the two of us."

"That's depressing."

"Is it? I think it's just the way my life is." Ellie smiled, then slid across the couch so she was right next to Riku. "Axel and I have gone through some really weird stuff, Axel more so than I, but we're fine now, right?" As she said this, Ellie realized how untrue it was. If Axel really was okay, then he wouldn't be gone.

"Hm..." Riku wrapped his arms around Ellie and pulled her closer. "So, Axel... why is he gone?"

"You haven't figured it out?"

"Just tell me."

Ellie sighed. "He's gone to Hallow Bastion to find his father, and probably, he wants to get revenge for everything he was put through." Ellie glanced up at Riku. "I tried to tell him to let it go, to just let everything leave, like what I did with the men who killed my parents and sister, but he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't let it go." Tears streamed down her face as she buried it in Riku's chest, ashamed that she was, once again, crying. "And now he's just left. He abandoned Roxas like that, he hurt him, and me, and he won't call, or anything. He's just gone. I don't even know if he'll come back." She clenched Riku's shirt. "Goddammit! Why am I crying again?"

Riku chuckled a bit, then kissed the top of Ellie's head. "Because you care too much."

* * *

"Ellie? What are you doing here? Have you been crying?" Roxas asked when he answered the door to his apartment. Ellie was shocked that he had answered it, expecting him to ignore everyone who came to try and talk to him. Maybe he had been at first, but just gave up, or maybe he was stronger than Ellie gave him credit for.

"I need to talk to you about Axel."

Roxas seemed a bit shocked, but he opened the door and let Ellie in. "What do you need to talk about?"

Glancing at her feet, Ellie closed her eyes. "It's about why he left. Where he is. Who he's searching for. And why."


	42. Teamwork is essential

**5  
**

**So... I don't think I ever replied to people's reviews for the last chapter... sorry... I got really distracted by a few things... Whoops. Actually, I don't think I'm going to reply to them anymore... Everyone basically say the same things, and it gets really redundant. Just know that I really appreciate all reviews you guys give me. I'll answer them if you ask me a question, or you say something I think is completely necessary to answer. But just know I probably won't answer them. Sorry... I have a lot going on.  
**

**Anyway, it's AkuRoku day :D Yay! I have no idea what to do with it. I mean, I guess this counts, and it's kinda AkuRoku, but.**

**So, there probably won't be a chapter next week for reason's that will become clear when I post the next chapter. Also, I'm going to be going on certain meds in a few days, so if I disappear off the face of the earth, blame my meds. They're supposed to numb my mind so I can actually focus on things. Which doesn't make ANY sense, but oh well.**

**So, enjoy this chapter, I'm sorry Olette is somewhat OOC, review, answer the poll, check out Hypochondriac, and I'll see you... eventually.**

**~Sunechirei  
**

**Full Chapter Title: Teamwork is essential- it allows you to blame someone else**

* * *

_For some reason, I couldn't stop staring up at the sky. The gray and white swirl was dull, boring, and sullen, but at the same time comforting. It's like the weather knew about my irritation and sadness, and was representing it so well. I didn't care that the snow, cold and wet, was tickling my face, chilling it to the point of extreme discomfort._

_ "God dammit...," I muttered, closing my eyes. "Where the hell are you?" The back streets of Hallow Bastion were dark. I doubted that the sun would shine through no matter what the weather was like. It was so shadowed in the alleyways._

_ There was no way I could find him in these conditions. But I knew he was back here somewhere. If he could find his father, then I could find him._

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" I didn't want to talk to Mom at the moment. Well, I never really wanted to talk to Mom, but especially not today. She'd guilted me into staying at home for the week of Thanksgiving, so I had no choice really but to listen to her, but...

"Yeah Mom, perfectly fine. I'm not upset at all that my boyfriend has gone missing and won't contact me or answer his phone. Totally fine." Mom didn't seem too impressed by my sarcasm.

She crossed her arms and glared at me. "You're ridiculous, Roxas. You're not the only person who's ever lost someone close to them."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. This is what happened to Dad when you ran off, I shouldn't be complaining. Whatever. Go away. See you later." She glared at me, but didn't move. "Bye!" I tried to wave Mom away, but it was like she was grounded there by an annoying bunch of roots. Stupid trees and their inability to move because of roots.

Wait, why am I thinking about roots? Or trees? What the hell?

"Roxas...," Mom warned, "this is getting out of hand. I think it's time for you to get off your butt, and start socializing with your family, and friends."

"Don't wanna."

"Good." I was confused by what Mom said, then she held out my phone. I have no idea how she got it, seeing as it was in my... oh wait, I'd forgotten it on my bedside table. Wow, I feel horrible. Axel could have contacted me at any moment, and I forgot my phone. "Call Olette. She wants to talk to you."

That was all Mom said before she tossed my phone onto my lap. I couldn't believe what was happening. It was like some kind of intervention, only there was no way she could make me actually call Olette back. Well, I thought that until I discovered a message on the front of my phone threatening to cut off all my money until I stopped being a wuss.

Mothers...

So I really had no choice but to call Olette, who I hadn't talked to in quite a while. I felt like a bad friend, but I had been busy and in a small crisis.

Only, I didn't call her. She called me.

And I answered.

"Hello?"

_"Roxas I swear if you hang up on me I'm going to drive up to Radiant Garden, tie you to a chair, and force you to watch kids shows for twenty hours while keeping you awake with boiling water being slapped onto your face!"_

I ended up holding the phone away from my ear during the second half of Olette's rant she was yelling so loudly. I could still hear what she was saying, though. Kinda entertaining.

"I'm kinda tempted to hang up on you now," I had to say, snickering. That was probably the first time I laughed after Axel's oh-so-wonderful disappearance. I would say it felt nice, but I was too distracted by Olette yelling at me again to really pay attention to it.

_"Don't you dare you little mother fucker!"_ So, apparently Olette has a potty mouth. _"I have been trying to contact you for the past three weeks, but have you been answering your phone? No. __You've been fucking ignoring me, and when I finally call your mom, she tells me that you've been depressed and Axel's disappeared and you've been taking it really hard and so I keep trying to get in contact with you but-"_

"Hey, hey! Calm down. I'm not going to hang up on you. I was joking." I don't really know why, but I had to start laughing at the silence on the other end of the phone. Olette didn't find this funny, though.

_"You don't sound very depressed, Roxas. You sound really happy, actually,"_ she snapped.

"That's because I'm not," I said rolling my eyes, even though I knew she couldn't see me. I was too entertained by the whole thing for some odd reason to really care. "Mom was exaggerating. I've been fine."

_"Yeah, so fine. She told me you had to be kicked out of work by your dad."_

"I did not!"

_"Kairi said that too."_

"Kairi? You talk to Kairi?"

_"Yeah, we became good friends the last time I was out there. Didn't you know that?"_

"No...," I was somewhat shocked, slightly annoyed, and completely frustrated at the fact they hadn't bothered to tell me this. "Well, you know what, I'm fine. Everyone else is just overreacting and I have no issues with this whole thing. Sure, I'm a little irritated, but it's not that big of a deal."

_"Yeah, I _so_ believe you."_

"What's up with you today? First you threaten me, then you start cussing, and now you're being sarcastic." It was the weirdest thing. Normally, Olette was kind, and sweet, and loving, and never really got angry. It was a weird change.

_"You're what's up, Roxas. You and your stupid problems."_

"Stupid problems?"

_"First, you hate Axel, then you start dating him, and Hayner is too freaked out to talk to you, then your parents have issues, and now Axel's gone and you're flipping out."_ I tried to protest but she cut me off with her yelling. _"No, shut up. For as long as I've known you, nothing bad has ever happened, but all of a sudden, your life has so many fucking problems, and you started becoming a whiny son of a bitch who needs to grow up."_

Whoa. Yeah. She just... said that to me. In a very pissed off voice.

She was right though. I guess it took her yelling at me to realize that I complain about my life a lot when I really don't need to. "So?" I wanted to see what she would do about me acting like a selfish jack ass. That would be really entertaining to hear. Only, she didn't actually freak out on me, like I wanted her to.

Instead, she sighed, and I guessed slapped her forehead then left whatever room she was in ._ "Look, I need to talk to you about something else, so shut up and listen to me."_

* * *

_He was nowhere to be found. As I searched, the gray sky slowly turned black, leaving me stranded in darkness. I wanted to slap myself when I realized I'd forgotten a flashlight of some sort, but I couldn't have known I needed one. The only other area of Hallow Bastion I'd been in actually had street lights, and I had a guide, so it was easier to traverse._

_ Not this time._

* * *

"Olette, I don't need to talk about anything, and I'm not going to shut up." I could care less that I was just digging a deeper grave for myself. "I'm perfectly fine and I just need some sleep. I'm tired, you know?"

_"Don't give me shit. You're going to listen to me, or my threat still stands."_

Really, there was no choice for me other than to listen to her. "Fine. What do you want to tell me?"

_"Do you know why Axel left? Your mom says you don't, but you sound really calm, like you know something other people don't."_ She just had to ask me that.

"Yes, I know why he left, and I know where he went-"

_"What!"_

"Stop yelling! Ellie just told me a few days ago."

_"Well?"_

"Well what?"

_"Why did he leave? Where is he?"_

I didn't really want to tell Olette. She was kinda irritating me... actually, she was really irritating me, I just didn't want to say that or she may kill me. Or tell Hayner, who already hates me. Besides, it was none of her business. Sure, I knew that Axel was looking for his biological father in Hallow Bastion, but it's not like I could do anything about it. No matter what I said to him, according to Ellie, Axel was dead set on finding this guy.

Basically, it would be impossible to talk him out of his goal.

Eventually, I told Olette what was going on, who Axel wanted to find, why he wanted to find him, and where he was looking for the guy. Her reaction was annoying.

_"You know where he is and why, yet you're sitting on your ass and not looking for him? What kind of boyfriend are you?"_

That's pretty much what I asked Ellie when she told me where Axel was. Though, it was more like I asked her what kind of friend she was, rather than boyfriend, because that wouldn't really make sense if I asked her what kind of boyfriend she was. I mean, she's not a guy, or so Riku tells me.

_"Look, I get that Axel told you not to look for him, but you're worried about him, right?"_

"Well, yeah..."

_"Then you should ignore his wishes and go find him."_

* * *

"Mom, how would you feel if I went to go look for Axel?" _I had asked Mom this after my conversation with Olette. She seemed shocked when I first told her, but after a the initial reaction, she was happy. _

"Olette convinced you, didn't she?" _I could only nod, before Mom pulled me into a hug and told me that I should go find him, make sure to be safe, and to try and be home before Christmas. That was a week ago._

_ As I searched through the back alleys of Hallow Bastion, I thought about the conversation with Olette, and about how many weird ass things have happened to me, and how much they've changed my life. Also how I've been acting recently. I didn't use to complain every other minute... I guess doing something you really don't want to tends to make you a whiny brat._

_ Damn._

_ Suddenly, something caught my eye. A figure, laying on the ground in the distance, snow piling up around their body. It looked familiar, almost nostalgic. _

_ I stumbled down the street, trying not to fall flat on my face._

_ It looked like him._


	43. My happiness

**4**

**Posting early because I have something else I need to do. Now that school has started, I'm going to be really busy and may not be able to get you guys a chapter a week, or have SATR start when I wanted it to, but oh well.**

**So anyway, I'm just going to say have fun reading this long. Long. LOOOOOONG chapter, and you will because you get to learn about Axel's past. **

**Thanks for all the reviews, I love you all.**

**Anyway, enjoy, review, review, answer the poll, review, read Hypochondriac, review, and I'll see you probably next week :D**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: My happiness depends on other people's suffering**

* * *

Axel could only watch Roxas sleep. The small body was just laying there, chest rising and falling in a smooth rhythm. Golden, messy hair was falling into his face, slightly covering the closed eyes of the teen. Slowly, Axel's hand traveled to the necklace hanging on his bare chest, and he smiled. Everything about the necklace reminded him of Roxas; delicate, beautiful, and his.

Even though it was extremely early, Axel had an urge to wake Roxas, tell him what was going on.

But he couldn't.

Roxas didn't need to know anything, though no doubt, Ellie would eventually tell him. Still, it would be better if he had no clue what was going on with Axel's life. It would be better if Axel left him while he was still asleep. That way, there would be no fuss, nothing at all. Roxas wouldn't wake if Axel left. He was a heavy sleeper, and since it had only been an hour since he'd fallen asleep, there was no way Roxas would be conscious enough to do anything, even if Axel did leave.

It was a perfect plan.

Slowly, he slipped out from under the covers, trying extremely hard not to disturb the bed too much.

"You okay?" Roxas' quiet, muttering voice called from the bed. Axel flinched. He'd been completely convinced that Roxas wouldn't have woken up, and yet the boy once again surprised him. Nothing Roxas did made sense to Axel. Just when he thought he'd figured out what was going through Roxas' head, the boy did something strange.

That's what happened in Twilight Town, then again when Roxas told Axel he _didn't_ have any feelings for him, and again at the hospital, and many more times that Axel couldn't keep track of. That's one of the things Axel loved about him so much. It's like the boy knew just what confused Axel, and what to do and say to make sure he always kept coming back.

"I'm just thirsty," Axel replied, leaning over and brushing a hand along Roxas' cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be right back." Roxas nodded, his eyes closing. A pang of guilt ran through Axel at the lie, but he had to do this. He had to lie.

Axel had been preparing for this for the past two weeks, making sure to have everything he needed, doing extra work so he didn't have to worry about it while he was gone, and of course, spending every minute he could with Roxas. The last one was more for himself. He didn't know how long it would take for him to find his father, because even though he knew that he was in Hallow Bastion, it was impossible to know where his house was. So, it could take a long time for him to complete his mission. Every moment he spent with Roxas could be engraved into his memory, and he could hold onto that until he came home.

Still, walking out of Roxas' room after getting dressed, a bag over his shoulder, was one of the hardest things Axel had ever had to do. Every step he took into the kitchen weighed his legs down as though they were made of lead, and when he turned around to look at the sleeping Roxas again, he felt like his heart was being wrenched from his chest.

It was too much for him. Swiftly, Axel walked back towards the bed where Roxas was laying and leaned over him. "I'm sorry," he muttered before leaning down and kissing Roxas on the forehead. "I'm so sorry."

As Roxas stirred, Axel bolted out of the room, not wanting to have a conversation with him. He closed the door behind him, letting out a deep sigh of regret, but also relief.

There was only one thing left to do.

Slowly, Axel made his way to the kitchen, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. With the pencil he found in the kitchen, Axel began to write a note for Roxas. But, he couldn't figure out what to say.

**_I know I wanted you to be honest with me, but I have something I never told you  
Please don't come look for me. I don't want you to  
I just want to apologize for what  
Roxas, I love you so much, but I need to leave because I have something I need to accomplish and_**

Axel groaned and crumpled up the piece of paper angrily. There was no possible way for him to say what he wanted to, even with his vocabulary. Finally, completely frustrated and not wanting to have to deal with this any longer, Axel just wrote a simple note, one that he hoped would get his message across, but wasn't fancy at all, and made Roxas understand what was going on.

_I have something to do,_ he wrote, hand shaking._ I don't know when I'll be back. Don't come looking for me. _He thought that was good enough, but he need to add something else, something important.

_ I love you._

* * *

Axel briefly wondered if he should talk to Ellie before he left. She already seemed to know that he would be leaving soon, but if he talked to her, it would be like talking to Roxas: painful and it would only make Axel not want to leave.

So, instead, he headed out of town, trying to drown out his thoughts with blaring music. He didn't dare take his car, for fear of someone recognizing it, so the bus was the only option he had. People gave him funny looks while he listened to his music, staring out the window of the bus, but he ignored them, knowing he would probably never see them again.

Still, the looks he received began to get on his nerves, reminding him of things he didn't want to remember, things from his past he wanted to forget.

Things about his father.

At the end of the three hour bus ride, Axel was irritated beyond belief.

It was then he got the first call.

The phone buzzed quietly in his pocket, and he allowed himself to smile softly. He knew who it was going to be; after all, only one person knew he had gone, and by now that boy was awake.

Sure enough, the name on Axel's phone was "Roxie," with a picture of Roxas' back in a large crowd of people behind it. Axel smiled at the picture. It was his favorite one of Roxas, having taken it on their first date. Roxas didn't know, of course, that he had his picture taken, which made it all more special to Axel. It was like his personal memory of that day.

Axel desperately wanted to answer the phone, tell Roxas he was alright and not to worry, but standing in the middle of a deserted street in Hallow Bastion wasn't the best place to do that. Or, that's what Axel told himself, so he just let the phone ring.

After a time, it stopped buzzing, and Axel felt like he was being stabbed through the chest. This feeling of pain became worse when the phone buzzed once more, signaling Roxas had left him a message.

_"Pick up the phone goddammit! I want to fucking know why the fuck you left and what the fuck this letter fucking means you fucking asshole!"_

Dial tone, then silence. Axel let out a small laugh. It was obvious from the message that Roxas had most likely been crying before he called. Either that, or yelling at someone. Still, Axel felt as though he were being slowly killed.

And it got even worse when Ellie called him.

_"Axel, I know you want to find your father, but this is too much. Just leaving? What do you expect to accomplish from this? Please call me back, we need to talk."_

Her voice was extremely calm, eerily quiet, and it sent a shiver down Axel's spine. But it didn't stop him from putting the phone back in his pocket, sighing, and walking down the streets of Hallow Bastion, determined to find the one he was looking for.

* * *

"Axel? What are you doing here?" Axel smirked at the sound of Zexion's voice. It had been two days since he'd left Radiant Garden. No doubt, Demyx had informed Zexion that Axel was missing, so it was natural that he sounded surprised to see Axel standing in the lobby of the hotel in Hallow Bastion.

"Looking for a place to sleep tonight, obviously," Axel replied, laughing quietly. "I was in the area and figured this would be the best place to spend the night. You don't mind, right?" Zexion could only shake his head, probably too shocked to say anything, but Axel saw his hand move towards the phone on the desk, and he chuckled. "Oh, Zexion?"

"Yes?" He looked nervous, hand retreating from the phone immediately.

"Tell anyone I'm here, and you're going to be fucking fired." Obviously, the look in Axel's sea-green eyes scared Zexion, as he withdrew his hand from the phone immediately, eyes wide. "Thank you."

Without another word, Axel moved behind the counter and grabbed a key to one of the room, still smiling dangerously at Zexion, then turned to leave the room. He should have known that Zexion would try and call Demyx about this, being a busybody and all, and yet his first instinct when he realized he was near the place was to go there.

It was like the place was telling him to go home.

Suddenly, Axel's phone buzzed, and he groaned. He didn't know if he could take another message from Roxas or Ellie. Yet, he checked his phone, knowing he would regret it. Strangely, the person calling him was none other than Riku; not Ellie, not Roxas, not Demyx, but Riku.

Oh, how tempted Axel was to answer the phone and see what Riku had to say, but a gunshot in the distance distracted him. It could have been his father shooting that gun. Axel wouldn't put it past the man to be cruel enough to kill someone. He practically already did commit an act of murder, after all.

Sighing, Axel checked his phone again. Sure enough, it said that he had one new voice message.

_"Axel, answer the goddamn phone. Ellie and Roxas are both trying to contact you,"_ was all Riku said.

"What a waste of a message," Axel muttered, deleting it. "He could have at least said something I didn't already know."

* * *

_"Mommy! Look, a pretty flower!" The little boy of two held out his hands, revealing a small, white blossom. His red hair was rather long for a young boy, reaching his shoulders, and his clothing was a few sizes too big, the shirt covering his knees as he crouched on the bed of a young, pale, woman._

_ She smiled, then reached out a pale hand, to pat her son on the head. "Axel, you know you're not supposed to bring flowers in here." Axel's wide green eyes looked up at his mother, horror showing in them. _

_ "I'm sorry! I'll go put it outside right now!" He turned, getting ready to slide off the bed, but two hands came down and wrapped around his small body, pulling him onto the lap of the woman. She smiled, then leaned down and kissed Axel on top of the head. He laughed, and curled up next to her chest, trying to avoid the I.V cord attached to her arm._

_ "It's okay, Axel," the woman whispered. "I like the flower." She didn't seem at all phased by the fact her young son was speaking as though he were a six year old, at least, rather than speech appropriate for someone who was two. "Now then, where's Daddy?"_

_ A look of panic crossed the child's face for a moment, and he glanced down. "I don't know. He wasn't home when I woke up." This worried the mother. She tightened her grip on Axel's body, despite his quiet protests. _

_ "How did you get here then?" She asked. "The hospital is far away from home."_

_ "I walked."_

_ "You walked all the way here? How? It's so far, and hard to find."_

_ Axel seemed to ponder this for a while, before he giggled. "Yesterday, Daddy brought me here in a... a... a taxi, and I looked out the window the whole way! I knew how to get here then!" This seemed to amuse Axel, and he began playing with the flower again, smiling widely. His mother, on the other hand, seemed a bit worried, maybe even scared. A dark look crossed over her eyes, and she glanced at the monitor next to her bed. _

_ Every day, her vitals became steadily worse._

_ Soon, the cancer would take her away from her son._

* * *

Axel woke from this dream, slightly surprised. He hadn't thought about that day with his mother in a long time.

Glancing at the clock, Axel groaned and placed his head in his hands. Though the hotel was quite comfortable, he hadn't been able to sleep for hours, and based on the hour on the clock, he had only achieved an hour and a half of sleep.

It was five in the morning.

Slowly, he closed his eyes, hoping to get more sleep this time.

* * *

_Axel was dressed in a small black suit, standing in front of his father. Before them, a casket was being slowly lowered into the ground, leaving behind no traces of the woman being buried._

_ The date: August thirteenth._

_ "Daddy? Where is Mommy? I miss Mommy," Axel said, holding onto his father's hand. He didn't quite understand what was going on. All he knew, was the his mom was there one day, and Axel was with her, then he was being taken out of the room by some mean nurses, and being told that he couldn't see her again._

_ "Elena is gone," the man snapped, pulling away from his son. "Don't ask me about her again." A cold look crossed his eyes as he walked away from the young boy._

_ "Elena? Is that Mommy's name?" Axel trotted along after his dad, wanting to know the answers to his questions. "Why can't I ask about her? I want to know where Mommy is!" He grabbed onto his father's pant leg, trying to keep him back, but the leg was suddenly yanked forward, sending Axel flying across the field._

_ The boy landed on his stomach, a few feet in front of his dad, too shocked to pay any attention to the gasps that echoed all around him. _

_ "Shut up!" His dad yelled in a hoarse voice. "I told you not to ask me questions about her!" Axel curled into a ball, holding his hands to his chest, his back to his father._

_ "I'm sorry, Daddy," he whimpered. Suddenly, his arm was being yanked up, pulling him to his feet as his dad dragged him across the cemetery field. Axel was barely conscious of the people who were whispering quietly about what had just occurred, but they didn't do anything._

* * *

A week had passed.

Axel was still wandering the streets of Hallow Bastion, searching desperately for anyone who knew where he could find Reno. His father. No one seemed to know, or they weren't talking, which was making this difficult for him.

Very difficult.

When he asked some people about the man, he watched, irritated, as they became pale, stuttered, and walked away without actually answering the question. Axel came to the conclusion that his father had continued to be a horrible person, terrorizing everyone around him.

It was almost sickening.

But Axel continued to ask every person he ran into back in the dark, dangerous alleys. There weren't many people back there, or, there were none that he saw. These people knew the back streets, the holes, the crevices; everything there is to know about traversing safely. Some people confused Axel with his father, running away as soon as he got near, screaming for help or begging for mercy.

When they found out that Axel was looking for his father, it became even worse. After a week, no one would talk to him. Word had spread, and many avoided the streets during the day, causing Axel to have to switch his walking habits, change to moving around at night.

It was difficult to keep changing his schedule, but he found it was worth it. It took him two weeks to figure something out: you don't ask questions, you just listen.

So he listened, every evening, and every morning to the chatter and gossip from the homeless, the prostitutes, the gang members, trying to find out if any of them would reveal the place his father was hiding out in. He didn't doubt that Reno knew he was there, looking for him. Axel knew that his father had become a coward over the years, hiding from his own son, the son that he tortured for a years time.

* * *

_"Daddy, I'm hungry," Axel whined, tugging at his father's sleeve. The man was laying on a couch, surrounded by dirty plates, wrappers from food, bottles of beer, the TV blaring in front of him, and his clothes looking as though they hadn't been washed in weeks. A hand came around and smacked Axel across the face, sending him stumbling back. _

_ "I don't fucking care," Reno muttered. Axel didn't understand what was going on. Two months after his mother passed, and the relatives had stopped coming to visit, his dad moved him to a new house, left him alone at home without food, or drink, nothing he needed to survive, and he wanted something to eat. _

_ Yet, the only thing he got was a smack in the face. From his father. Axel didn't know what he did, what he could do to stop this, to get food, to be happy again._

_ It was all he wanted._

* * *

"Naminé?"

_"Hello Axel."_ Naminé had a quiet voice. A tired, quiet, irritated voice. _"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"_

"Yeah, it has been," Axel muttered. He hadn't been expecting a call from the girl who he'd stolen Roxas from. "Why are you-"

_"I got a frantic call from Kairi telling me you'd taken off. Apparently you've been an asshole. Again."_

"Look, Naminé, I don't need you telling me-"

_ "Shut the fuck up Axel, and listen to me. You stole Roxas from me, and now you're hurting him. Stop it."_

"Goodbye, Naminé," Axel said, pulling the phone away from his ear, but Naminé's voice kept him from doing so.

_"Axel, I swear that if you hurt Roxas again, or if you do anything, _anything_, that results in Roxas being upset one more time, I won't let you live it down."_ Axel said nothing as Naminé caught her breath on the other side of the line, then she continued her scolding. _"I still love him, Axel, and I'm still mad at you for changing him, so don't you dare give me a reason to come back and take him, because I will, Axel. I will."_

Then she hung up on him. Axel sighed, and began to put his phone away, knowing that there was something more going on with Naminé. There was always something more going on with that girl, in Axel's opinion. But his phone buzzed again. Axel groaned and checked the caller I.D.

It was Riku.

Axel let it ring, not wanting to talk to anyone else, even if it was his best friends boyfriend. After a message was left, Axel listened to it.

_"Axel you son of a bitch answer your phone. I swear that I will kill you when you come back if you don't get your ass on the phone, right now, and call me back. You want to know why I'm telling you to do this? Because you're best friend just cried so hard and long that she passed out! That's right, Ellie cried. And passed out because she was so upset. Answer the damn phone."_

Axel nearly threw his phone on the ground after that message. He hadn't wanted Ellie to be angry, or sad at all. He wanted her to just go along with the life she was living, and he wanted her to ignore the fact that he was gone.

Why didn't she just do that?

Why did she obsess over this entire thing.

Why couldn't people just act like Axel thought they were going to act?

* * *

_"Daddy, I'm going out to play?"Axel called, then realized his father wasn't listening to him. The man was sleeping, laying on the couch in his own filth, snoring. Axel looked down at his feet, trying to ignore the rumbling stomach. It had been over a year since his mother's death, a year since Axel was left alone with his dad._

_ The three year old felt lonely._

_ He spent most of his time outside, no matter how cold it was, or who was outside. Many women asked Axel how he was doing, if he was getting enough food, or where the bruises came from. Axel only smiled, told them he was eating fine, and that he fell all the time._

_ The believed him, and left him alone._

_ Axel didn't really know why he lied to the women. A part of him knew they would save him, get him away from the hitting, the yelling, the lack of food, but he didn't want to leave his dad. He wanted to stay with his father._

_ But when he got home, after running around with children who lived near him, the door wouldn't open. He climbed on the bench near the door and rattled at the door knob. However, it wouldn't move. Axel slipped off the bench and grabbed walked around the apartment, searching for a window to get in, but there was none._

_ "Daddy?" Axel called out at the door. "Daddy, it's cold. Where are you, Daddy?"_

* * *

_ The air was like ice to my body, chilling me to the bone. I remember that most of all, the inability to feel my hands, and my feet, the fact that I was shivering so much that I couldn't remember what it was like to stay perfectly still. _

_ I think my breathing was shallow, and every breath I took was more painful than the last, but it was hard to remember as my brain slipped away into darkness. Kept, slipping away, farther and farther. I knew then that I would be safe soon. I would be fine in only a second._

_ Then the voice came._

_ "Is this him?" _

_ All I wanted was for that high pitched, young voice to leave me alone, let me die. Well, I think that's what I wanted. I know now that's what I wanted to happen, but back then I was just wondering who the person was talking to._

_ "Miss?"_

_ She sounded like she was only a year or so older than I was, so somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew she couldn't help me. It's amazing how much a three year old can understand about the world around him. Though, I suppose I knew more than most children my age, as I was a genius and all, but still, thinking back on it..._

_ "Hey, you okay?" The voice was back, closer to me this time, and I felt a hand on my arm. "Ah! You're cold!" The hand withdrew from my shoulder, and I heard a strange noise, like a zipper being undone. I thought she was going to strangle me, or, I think that's what I thought._

_ All I can remember is being extremely scared._

_ But then there was heat, a jacket being placed over my body, and the girl patted me on the head._

_ "I'll be right back, okay? Don't. Move."_

_ Then she took off, leaving me alone in the street again. After that, I remember heat returning to my body, just slightly, and I could feel the snow tickling my face. Whimpering, I managed to grab the jacket and pull it closer to my face, wanting the heat it brought. _

_ I hated snow. Always had._

_ "Ellie, I asked you where you're jacket is?" Another voice, a woman's._

_ "I_ told_ you. I gave it to the boy I found!" _

_ "But it's freezing out here! You could catch a cold in that dress of yours."_

_ "I don't care. He was really cold."_

_ "So are you!"  
The voices were getting closer and closer, louder and louder, and they kept getting more annoying. I didn't like these two._

_ "There he is!"_

_ "Oh my!"_

_ I heard more rustling, and all of a sudden, someone was picking me up, holding me close to their body. It was warm, and comfortable._

_ It reminded me of my mom._

_ "We have to get him to a hospital. Ellie, go back to the orphanage and tell Cid where I've gone."_

_ "No! I want to come with you!"_

_ "Ellie..."_

_ "I found him, I'm going." I could just imagine a small girl pouting, her arms crossed angrily. It made me want to laugh, but the breathing was still extremely difficult. It wouldn't matter. I knew I wasn't going to survive much longer. _

_ Just like what happened to my mom._

* * *

Three weeks. Axel found that it was extremely difficult to survive in the streets of Hallow Bastion for that long. He thought it was going to be easy to do this, to find his dad. He thought he was going to be done within a few days, hours even. He wasn't expecting to find as much trouble as he did.

And the dreams.

He hated the dreams with such a burning passion that he began to try and avoid as much sleep as possible. The longest he went without sleep that he could remember was three and a half days. Three and a half days of no sleep before he collapsed onto the ground, drifting into oblivion.

* * *

_"You're not gonna hurt me, are you?" The young girl cocked her head, crossing her legs under her body. She was sitting on the bed next to Axel, playing with the blanket at her feet. Axel could only look at his hands, not quite sure what was going on. _

_ "No," he muttered, "I didn't mean to attack the doctor... he just scared me." The girl blinked, then lay down on the bed._

_ "You talk like a grown up, but you're only three. I'm four. I don't talk like a grown up."_

_ "I'm sorry," Axel said, tugging at the IV in his arm. It reminded him of his mother's time in the hospital. She always told him that the tube would save her life, keep her safe from everything bad that happened. _

_ Axel didn't know if he should believe her anymore.  
"I don't care. I think of Mommy and Daddy when you talk. I miss Mommy and Daddy."_

_ "What happened to them?"_

_ The girl looked down at her hands. "They aren't here anymore."_

_ "Are they dead?"_

_ Axel immediately knew he said something wrong, as the girl slid off the bed. He wanted to take back what he said. He didn't want her to leave. He liked her. But she turned to him and smiled, confusing Axel. _

_ "What's your name? Dr. Ansem said he didn't know what your name was, and you wouldn't tell him."_

_ Axel smiled, feeling a warmth blossom in his chest, and told her in a quiet voice._

* * *

_Then he was eight, sitting at school, in the principal's office, arms crossed, head bent, a nasty glare hidden under his red locks of hair. Cuts and bruises covered his face and arms, a sure sign of a small fight, and standing over him was a man with blue hair; one of his adoptive father's, Saïx._

_ "Let's go, Axel," he said, his voice cold. Axel flinched, thinking of his father, but followed anyway. As the two walked, an awkward silence fell over them, leaving Axel desperate for an escape. Saïx, however, wouldn't give him one. "What happened?" _

_ Not answering, Axel turned his nose up in the opposite direction of Saïx and walked on __ahead. He didn't want to talk to anyone about it, especially not a _man_ who was supposed to take care of him. _

_ Before reaching the car, Axel became tempted to run off, leave this god awful world of his behind and live on his own; it was something he could do, being tested as a genius. He knew that surviving in the world on his own wouldn't be that difficult. It wouldn't be like when he was three. But even then he had been able to steal food and some clothing in order to survive. He would be fine._

_ It would be better._

_ But then he thought of Ellie, who had told Axel only a few days before that he was her best friend, and always would be, no matter how old they got, and he let go of the notion. He couldn't run away. _

_ And his life wasn't that bad._

_ When they reached the car, Saïx repeated his question._

_ This time, Axel answered. "Because the boys are jerks," he said calmly, pulling open the car door. "They all think they're so great because they're guys and can play sports. So, when I mentioned to one that living life as a sports fan would leave him fat, old, greasy, and pathetic, he snapped." Axel let out a small laugh. "It was really funny to see such a imbecile get red in the face. I doubt he even knew what I was talking about."_

_ Even though Axel found this to be hysterical, Saïx was not amused. Axel gauged his reaction to be one of irritation and anger. A scary and dangerous combination._

_ "Why would you say that to him? Is there something wrong with liking to play sports?"_

_ Axel pondered this for a second, buckling his seat belt. "Only guys play sports."_

_ "So?"_

_ "Guys are stupid idiots."_

_ "Do you hate men, Axel?"_

_ "Yeah. I do. Got it memorized?"_

* * *

_"Axel, please call me back. It's been a few days, and you're starting to scare me. Love you."_

_ "If you're there and just ignoring my calls, Axel, you do realize that you're going to regret it as soon as you come back, right?"_

_ "Pick up the damn phone! I want to talk to you!"_

_ "Roxas is acting as though the world is coming to an end. Why do you continue to just ignore us, the people who are trying to help you? It doesn't make any sense, Axel. Please, please, just answer the phone for me. I know you don't want to, but I need to talk."_

_ "That's right, it's Ellie again. Just wanted to let you know that Roxas is practically dead. At least call him back, you son of a bitch."_

_ "Alright, that's it. I'm done. I hate you, Axel. I hate you so much! We're through! Don't even bother coming back here when you finish whatever the hell you wanted to finish. I won't be waiting patiently like a little dog for you to come back."_

_ "I'm sorry. Ignore that last message from me. I didn't mean it. Please call me back. I love you."_

_ "Hey Axel, it's Kairi. Everyone's really worried about you. You should call at least one of us back, let us know you're okay. That's all we want. We won't come and try and find you. Please?"_

_ "Dude, Axel, you could have at least told me, you're roommate, that you were taking off. I would have liked to know if you were going to just leave. Thanks for that. Bye."  
"Please call me back. Please? I just want to talk to you again. I really miss you."_

_ "Good going, Axel. You officially broke your boyfriend. Now he's gone."_

Axel nearly dropped his phone at the last message. His phone had been off for a while, hiding in his pocket while he talked to people.

_"Now he's gone."_

How could he be gone? Where did he go? Why did he go? Axel desperately wanted to know the answer to these questions. He wanted to know, and he was tempted to call Riku, the one who'd left the last message, and ask him what he meant.

More than that, he wanted to call Roxas and make everything right.

But he couldn't.

He just couldn't.

* * *

_"Go away! You're irritating me!" _

_ Axel turned around angrily and glared at the young, three year old boy following him. The boy watched Axel with wide blue eyes, then showed a small toothy grin._

_ "I don't wanna," he giggled, tugging at the bottom of his pajama shirt. He ran forward and grabbed Axel's leg, hugging it tightly. Disgusted, Axel tried to push the boy away, but only managed to ruffle the blond hair a tiny bit. He groaned and started walking again. He was definitely regretting running away from the party, leaving his dads behind and trying to find a small, quiet place to just relax._

_ Finding the Strife's young son was not something he was expecting. Now, the boy was literally attached to Axel, following him everywhere in the house in his small pajamas and stuffed bear. As a ten year old, Axel absolutely hated this, especially since it was a boy._

_ And he hated boys._

_ "I said go away! I don't want to be around you!"_

_ "Aw, why not!" The boy looked up, pouting, then yanked on Axel's pant leg to bring him down to his level. "I really like you!" He smiled again and hugged Axel around the neck, who blushed. "I like Axel!"_

_ "What are you saying?" Axel exclaimed, trying hard not to think about his burning face, "You don't even know who I am." He pushed the boy off of him and stood up, brushing his suit as though the boy's touch was vile. He glared down at the boy who looked confused and sad, eyes cast downward as he rocked back and forth on his feet. Opening his mouth, Axel was about to yell at the boy again, but a familiar voice called out from the hallway._

_ "Roxas? Roxas where are you?" It was the voice of the woman who was hosting the party; the woman Axel had insulted earlier that night. _

_ "Mommy!" The boy cried out, clapping his hands before running towards the voice. In an instant, Tifa was in the room, picking up her son. "Mommy look, a friend!" He pointed at Axel, still smiling, which caused the boy to flush. He just thought of the boy as an annoyance, not a "friend."_

_ "A friend?" Tifa asked her son. "How did you meet him?"_

_ "I wanted to know what the loud noises were downstairs, and was he there," Roxas explained, stumbling over his words slightly. Then he paused, realizing his speaking mistake. "He... was... there," he muttered to himself, hiding his slightly red face from embarrassment in his mom's shoulder. She smiled and patted him on the head._

_ "That's right," she whispered something else to him, but Axel couldn't hear what she said. Whatever it was, it perked Roxas right up, and he giggled again. Then, Tifa's attention turned to Axel, who's only thought was to run away in fear._

_ "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to get here. I just wanted a quiet place and-"_

_ "You're Axel, right?" Axel nodded. "Thank you for staying with Roxas. He doesn't like to sleep when it's his bed time, so he's always wandering around. When I saw he wasn't in his room, I thought that maybe he'd gotten hurt," she said, holding her son close. "So thank you."_

_ This only helped with making Axel completely embarrassed. He'd been wishing for the boy to disappear, not caring where he went, and yet now he was being praised by the boy's mother. It was like he was being mocked somehow._

_ "Yeah," Axel muttered, "no problem."_

_ Tifa let out a laugh, then held out the hand that wasn't holding up Roxas. "Come on, I'll take you back to your dads. They've been looking for you."_

_ Ignoring the hand, Axel nodded and pushed past Tifa, heading towards the party. He could hear her laughing behind him, and then her footsteps following him. He desperately wanted to escape the madness of the woman and Roxas, but of course, his life didn't like him._

_ "You don't have to come with me," Axel eventually said, turning back to Tifa. All she did was smile, holding a shy looking Roxas on her hip. A single thought ran through Axel's head at this point, one that he wasn't expecting._

He looks really cute.

_ Suddenly, Axel began hitting his head with his hands, not sure at all where that thought came from, or why he blushed from it. The boy was only three years old. Seven years younger than Axel..._

_ "Axel, are you okay?"_

_ "I'm fine!"_

_ Another laugh from the mother, and Axel couldn't help but think he was being mocked by the woman, even though she didn't know why he was acting the way he was._

_ "There you are!" Axel heard Saïx's voice, and cringed. He didn't want to talk to another person that evening. His plan was to leave the building and just ignore everyone for the rest of the evening, but no. He couldn't act like a horrible son in front of the woman who thought he was being nice to her son. Then she would talk to him some more._

_ "Sorry... I got lost," Axel mumbled, ignoring the laugh coming from Roxas. Or, he ignored it until a woman's voice called out to Tifa._

_ "Oh Mrs. Strife, your son is absolutely precious."_

_ Irritation rose in Axel, but at the same time, relief. He wasn't the only one who thought the young boy looked cute. There were others who agreed with the woman, and Tifa laughed. Roxas, on the other hand, looked calm, tired, and was watching Axel with wide eyes._

_ It made him blush._

_ "I want to go home," Axel muttered, grabbing Saïx jacket sleeve._

_ "Alright," Saïx replied. He bowed his head at Tifa. "Thank you for inviting us to this party, we'll be taking our leave now."_

_ "Oh! Let me send you off then," Tifa said sweetly. Saïx just laughed._

_ "No, it's alright Miss. I'm sure your son wants to go back to bed now, he looks extremely tired," Saïx said._

_ "Please, I insist! Roxas won't go to bed anyway, will you?" He seemed to be considering it for a minute, then shook his head._

_ "I don't wanna go to bed," he chirped in a sing-songy voice. "I'm not sleepy."_

_ Axel nearly groaned when Tifa followed them to the door, where Xemnas was waiting for them. It was confusing to Axel how his other dad knew they were heading to the door, but he was too anxious about the small blue eyes watching his every move to worry about it. He could feel his nerves rising greatly with every step he took._

_ By the time they actually reached the door, Axel thought he was going to have a panic attack._

_ "Did you have a good time, Axel?" Xemnas asked when they reached him. Axel only shrugged, then glanced back at Roxas who was still staring at Axel. The boy smiled shyly and buried his face in his mother's hair, whispering something to her._

_ Tifa seemed confused at first, but shrugged and put Roxas on the ground. "Roxas told me he wanted to say goodbye," she explained, looking as confused as Axel felt. Roxas took a step forward and tugged on the bottom of Axel's shirt. Rolling his eyes, he crouched down and looked Roxas in the eye._

_ "What?"_

_ He wasn't expecting what happened next. _

_ Roxas leaned up and pecked Axel on the lips really quickly, then ran back to his mom. Axel couldn't move as Roxas waved._

_ "Bye bye Axel."_

_ "Oh my," Tifa said, sounding both surprised and amused, before she picked up Roxas. "I'm sorry about that."_

_ Axel blushed and backed away, trying to hide his face from everyone around him. "I don't care," he muttered before trying to run off into the night. Saïx, however, grabbed his arm and nodded his head at Tifa._

_ "Have a wonderful evening."_

_ "Same."_

_ As the three walked out of the building, Axel looked down at his feet and smiled._

_ "Saïx?"_

_ "Hm?"_

_ "Maybe guys aren't as bad as I originally thought."_

* * *

"_Truth or dare?" Ellie asked, flopping herself down on the bed next to Axel. The two of them were spending their last weekend of freedom having a sleepover, along with Demyx, so they might actually look forward to school starting. Ellie, in middle school, and Axel, in high school. _

_ "Dare," Axel replied. He sat up and smirked, thinking there was nothing his cousin could do to phase him._

_ Ellie, however, had other plans. "Alright, I dare you to sneak into my dad's study tonight and steal his prized article."_

_ Axel paled. "You're kidding, right?" When Ellie shook her head, he groaned and placed a pillow over his head. "I can't do that! He'll kill me!"_

_ "Well wouldn't you know, Axel here's a chicken!"_

_ "Are not!"_

_ "Are too!"_

_ "Not!"_

_ "Too!"_

_ "Not!" _

_ "Too!"_

_ "Not!"_

_ "Too!"_

_ "Not!"_

_ "Prove it!"_

_ "Fine, I will!" He slid off the bed, sticking his tongue out at the grinning pre-teen girl, before carefully making his way out of her room. The house Ellie lived in with her adoptive father, Ansem, was always so cold and dangerous at night, the shadows leaping out at Axel like dangerous hands coming to kill him. It always made him shudder._

_ It was especially bad around Ansem's study. The large oak doors always loomed over Axel, who was considered short for his age, seeming to mock his every whim, especially the curly, cursive letters engraved in gold in the door:_

_ Dr. Ansem Lea_

_ Sighing, Axel pushed open the doors, making sure the hinges didn't squeak, and glanced around quickly. The clock on the desk read just after midnight, so there was no doubt Ansem was sound asleep, preparing for his next day in research. Ellie always told Axel that her dad worked all the time, and was almost never home, and even when he was, all his time was spent in this room._

_ There was no doubt she was just using Axel right now to get back at Ansem for that._

_ She was rather malicious sometimes._

_ Glancing around the room, Axel searched for the awarded article about some kind of disease he found a cure for. Finally, his eyes landed on it, sitting just above the desk, gleaming in the moonlight streaming in from the window._

_ The only problem now was getting it down._

_ Axel moved forward, getting ready to climb onto the desk, when he heard a noise outside the room. In an instant he was out the door, not caring if he was seen or not. He could just convince Ansem later that he was imagining things._

_ He could hear Ellie laughing when he entered the room a few seconds later, out of breath._

_ "I... told... you... you... were... a... chicken!" She managed to get out, trying hard not to fall off the bed she was laughing so hard. All Axel did was cross his arms._

_ "Hey! I got in there, and I was about to get the article, but someone was coming and-"_

_ "Chicken!"_

_ "Oh shut up Ellie," Axel yelled, jumping on the bed, tackling the thirteen year old girl. She let out a gasp, and instinctively grabbed the back of Axel's shirt, flipping him over so she could get a hold of his neck to pin him down. Axel, however, was expecting this, and trapped her arms behind her back before she could complete the action, grinning._

_ The two continued to wrestle, both laughing, until finally, Ellie was sitting on Axel's back, holding his arm up against his back so he couldn't move. He struggled against her grip, but it was useless._

_ "Man, you guys look like you're havin' fun," a voice suddenly said from the doorway. Both Ellie and Axel looked up at the speaker, eyes wide, and saw Demyx standing there, a half asleep look on his face. "Didn't mean ta interrupt you," he yawned, walking into the room._

_ "Be quiet Demyx, I'm just teaching Axel here," she tightened her grip around his wrist, digging her nails slightly into his skin, then smirked at his yelp, "a lesson about attacking a girl."_

_ "Whatever, I don't care." He climbed onto the bed next to Ellie and yawned again. "Anyway, I thought you guys were playing truth or dare."_

_ "We were, but then Axel decided to be a chi-"_

_ "Don't say it!"_

_ "Fine, it's your turn," Ellie snapped, climbing off Axel's back and leaning against the wall. She glared at him with her golden eyes, lips turned up into a smirk._

_ "I will!"  
"Be quiet guys."_

_ "Truth or dare?"_

_ "Truth!"_

_ "Whatever happened to being quiet?"_

_ "Shut up Demyx. Is it true that you only got an A on your last science test because the teacher thinks you're cute?"_

_ "What the hell? Of course not!"_

_ "Wow, really? I'm surprised."_

_ "_Shut up_ Demyx. Truth or dare?"_

_ "Why do you guys always pick on me?"_

_ "Truth."_

_ "Is it true that-"_

_ "You like guys, not girls?"_

_ Both Ellie and Axel, who looked like they were about to murder each other, froze, and turned to Demyx. He gave them both a confused look, then said, "Hey! It's a good question! I've been wanting to know the answer to it for a while."_

_ All eyes turned to Axel, who was by now flushing a deep red. This wasn't a question he'd been expecting to hear, especially not out of Demyx's mouth._

_ Especially not right now._

_ "Hey, Axel, answer the question," Ellie eventually said. _

_ He blushed deeper and looked at the ceiling. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"_

* * *

Axel didn't want to walk anymore. He was getting sick of this searching, sick of this painful walking hiding, from asking questions and listening to the horrid gossip of the place known as the forgotten world of Hallow Bastion. Everything he heard made him lose all faith in humanity, and every day he felt sicker and sicker, just listening to some of the things said.

"Another person was murdered."

"That girl was raped and left for dead in the snow storm last night."

"Man, I hope no children got hurt in the raid last night."

"All those bitches deserved to be massacred. They didn't have lives anyway."

These things being said made Axel want to hurl.

Yet he continued walking, continued searching for the one who he wanted to find. The dreams he was having were no longer horrible. They'd moved onto replaying important memories in his life, things that stuck out more than others. But he still feared sleep. Any night could change, and Axel might be seeing his life as a child again, sitting alone in the cold apartment, waiting for his father to return.

As he was thinking about this, Axel failed to notice a shadow crossing the alley, heading towards him, until it was too late. Suddenly, there was a gun against his back, and a cold voice echoed behind him.

"You're not supposed to be here. I would have thought you'd learned your lesson last time."

Axel didn't know what to do. No one had told him he wasn't welcome anywhere, except for maybe a bar where he'd searched through the crowds, but they were far away from this place. Still, the gun pressed against his back was all too real, and the person holding it obviously believed Axel was someone else.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Axel tried to reason, holding up his hands to show he wasn't armed. "I've never been in this place before."

"Don't give me shit, Reno. I've warned you before that the next time you came down here, you wouldn't be able to leave."

The click of the gun frightened Axel and he shouted, "I'm not Reno!"

There was no gunshot, and suddenly, the metal was removed from his back. "What?" The man asked, and Axel turned around. Standing before him was a black haired man with blue eyes; a rare combination of features. "Huh, you aren't Reno. Who the hell are you then?"

"Axel. I'm Axel."

"Axel? Why does that name sound familiar?" The guy lowered the gun and glanced away for a moment, thinking about what he just said.

"Um... I don't know but-"

"You're pretty much the spitting image of Reno, though," the guy interrupted, taking a step forward.

"That would be because I'm his son." The gun appeared in his face. "Whoa! Don't shoot me! I fucking hate the guy!"

"You do? Why?"

"Because he's a bastard who pretty much tried to kill me when I was young."

"Hm... good answer." Again the gun was pulled away, and this time, stored in the man's belt. "My name's Zack. Nice to meet you, Axel."

* * *

_"I don't like it here, Axel," Ellie whined, grabbing onto his uniform jacket. "Everyone keeps giving me funny looks."_

_ Axel sighed and pushed Ellie off. He hated the fact that she was taller than he was, even if it was only by an inch. "That's because you keep clinging to me. Genius junior thirteen year old. Gay genius junior thirteen year old. You should go hang out with people in your grade."_

_ "No! You and Demyx are the only ones I know in this school. And I don't make friends that easily," she protested. "Come on, be nice to your cousin for once."_

_ "I'm nice to you all the time."_

_ "Yeah, and I'm the heir to some ancient civilization that once ruled the world."_

_ "Oh my, I had no idea, your highness," Axel said, falling into a mock bow. "I shall be sure to attend to your every need from this moment forward!" He snickered when Ellie hit him over the head. He considered this payback for all the stuff Ellie made him do while they were playing games. Being a year older gave Ellie an advantage to quite a few things, which meant Axel always had to listen to her._

_ "Oh no, little Axel's got himself a girlfriend. Someone call the fag police, cuz Axel just broke a sacred fag law!"_

_ The look in Axel's eyes could have killed a whale, and he turned towards the guys who'd called that out, and hissed, "She's not my girlfriend, Zidane. She's my best friend and cousin." His arms crossed, he let out a nasty laugh and continued. "I'm as much of a fag as I was yesterday, ass face."_

_ Axel didn't care that Zidane looked about ready to commit murder in the middle of the now quiet lunch room. Even Ellie's indignant "Axel," was lost on him, beaten out by the raging thoughts of getting back at the senior who'd tried to ruin his life over the past two years. _

_ But no one else said anything. Instead, Zidane smirked at Ellie, like a plan had formed in his head, and then backed off, calling out, "You won't be so cocky later you fucking queer." He ran off laughing, as Axel jumped forward to try and attack the insulting teen. Ellie managed to grab his arm right before he could, however, and held him back._

_ "Axel?" She asked, confused. "How often does that happen?"  
"Doesn't matter. Just ignore it," Axel replied, looking down. He hadn't let anyone in his family know that the guys in his school found it fun to insult him, make sure he never had any friends, or could walk around the school without whispers of abuse following his every move._

_ It irritated him._

_ But he pushed it off._

_ He realized later that day, he shouldn't have just ignored Zidane's threat._

_ "Hey! Get off me!"_

_ Axel was thrown to the floor of the storage room, arms tied behind his back, Ellie being held hostage in front of him. Her cry sent a jolt of fear through Axel's heart, and he struggled against his bonds angrily. _

_ "What the hell are you doing," he yelled at Zidane, who was standing over him with a smirk on his face. "Why's Ellie here?"_

_ "Ellie huh," one of the guys holding said girl laughed, "that's a pretty name. Perfect for a pretty girl like you." Axel watched in horror as the guy began unbuttoning Ellie's shirt. "Not that I'm gonna remember it."_

_ "Zidane!"  
_

_"Oh," Zidane finally answered, crouching down, "I thought it'd be interesting to see what would happen if you saw your best friend being fucked in front of you. I mean, if it was she was a guy, I bet you would want to join in, but since she's not a guy..." He laughed and grabbed Axel's head, turning it so he was watching the two guys hold Ellie down on the ground, stripping her. _

_ He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch as he struggled against the strong hands holding him down. If only he were taller and stronger..._

_ "Oh, come on Axel," Zidane cooed, smacking Axel over the head, "you should watch this. See what's normal."_

_ He couldn't watch. He was powerless to help his best friend._

_ "Get the fuck off me!"__ Axel hadn't heard Ellie say anything coherent until this. Surprised, he opened his eyes just in time to see a half stripped Ellie knee the guy on top of her in the crotch. Axel wasn't quite sure what happened next, as things moved too quickly for him to really understand the events, but somehow, Ellie was next to him, hands shaking, untying the rope, as the two guys and Zidane ran out of the building, screaming curses back after him._

_ As soon as the rope was untied, Axel moved so he was sitting up, facing his cousin._

_ "Ellie, are you alright? Are you hurt? Did they do anything?" _

_ All Ellie did was start sobbing, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning down. "I was so scared!"_

* * *

_ "It's not safe for her there!"_

_ "The boys have been expelled, and are being tried for statutory rape. They should be going to prison for a long time."_

_ "Yes, those boys are. What about all the other ones? According to the school councilor, these were only three of the ones who were bullying Axel. What if another person decides that Ellie is a good target for them? Huh?"_

_ "If anything happens, Axel will-"_

_ "Axel's the reason this happened to her! It's because of him that she was attacked on her first day of high school."_

_ "He's learned-"_

_ "He's learned nothing! I'm taking Ellie away from here, and away from him."_

_ "Ansem, you're overreacting to this."_

_ "Overreacting? My daughter almost got raped, Xemnas. Almost raped because your son doesn't know how to behave in a social situation!"_

_ "Axel is not to blame! Taking Ellie out of this school is fine, but cutting her off from Axel? Those two are closer than we were, brother. Do you think that taking her away from her best friend would be protecting her?"_

_ "If it means saving her from other people who may hurt her, then yes."_

_ Axel closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling. He doubted that either of the men in the other room knew that he and Ellie were sitting there, listening to their argument. She was pressed up close against him, holding his hand like it was her only lifeline, and she cringed at every word said against Axel._

_ "You're a victim here too," she muttered, resting her head against his shoulder. "You're the one whose been bullied for the past two years."_

_ "This isn't about me. This about you," Axel tried to explain. "I can take care of myself, but-"_

_ "So can I! I'm the one who got rid of those guys..." She trailed off , eyes closing. "It's not fair that those people can get away with saying those things and being so horrible to you, then only get punished because they physically hurt me." Her long brown hair fell into her face as she shook her head. "Physical wounds heal much faster than emotional. Both of us know that already! Why can't others see that?"_

_ "I think they can," Axel said. "They just seem to ignore it, or push it aside, like it doesn't matter to them at all." He'd already thought about this before, when Ellie was being talked to by the police about what happened. The school had found Axel holding a crying Ellie in the storage room, surprised, and angry._

_ He told them what happened, and immediately, Zidane and the two guys were found and arrested._

_ One perk of being a genius: teachers listened to you._

_ But as they helped calm Ellie down and get her wrapped in a blanket to be taken to the hospital, Axel couldn't help but think about all the times the teachers had ignored bullying they saw. Sometimes, a guy would call Axel horrible names and purposefully exclude him right in front of a teacher._

_ They ignored it._

_ "Well, it's wrong. It should be changed. Someone should be out there to help defend the people who can't defend themselves."_

_ "There are," Axel said, rolling his eyes, "they're called lawyers." He was hoping to have Ellie drop the subject with that sentence, but instead, she just became excited._

_ "I want to be a lawyer!"_

_ "Huh?"  
"Yeah!" she exclaimed, pulling away from Axel, "I want to be a lawyer, and help defend people who need it, put guys who hurt others in jail so they never see the light of day again."_

_ "What about being a doctor?"_

_ "That's what Ansem wants me to be. But I don't care about that anymore. I'm going to be a lawyer, and I'm going to be the best one out there, so I can protect people like you, and like me. People who've been wronged." Her fists clenched. "And I'll make sure to put the people who killed my parents behind bars. I'll find them, and get them to be put in jail." She began crying again. _

_ "Ellie..."_

_ "Don't worry about me anymore, Axel. I'm gonna go to the school Ansem wants me to go to, and then go to law school, then I'll make sure you never get hurt again, okay?"_

_ Axel didn't know what to say. This was a side of Ellie he'd never seen before. She seemed so sure, so determined, and extremely protective. Eventually he smiled, and let out his first laugh since the incident two days ago._

_ "And while you're gone, becoming the best damn lawyer in the world, I'll be sure to become stronger so next time, I can protect you." He stood up. "You've already saved me twice, Ellie. I think it's time I payed you back, no?"_

* * *

"And I thought he was a bastard before," Zack muttered, leaning back against the alley wall. Axel didn't know what to say as he bowed his head. This Zack guy had turned out to be Roxas' godfather, the guy who took Tifa in all those years ago, and one of the people that helped with the mess a few months ago.

At first, when he found this out, Axel didn't want to associate with the guy, as he felt it would be betraying Roxas somehow. However, he knew somewhere that Roxas wouldn't care. He actually liked his godfather, even though he said the guy was somewhat of a freak. Axel didn't think he was a freak, especially after he started talking to him. If anything, the guy was completely normal.

Of course, how you act in a dangerous situation, and how you act around your family and friends are completely different. Most of the time.

"So, you want to know where he is?"

Axel nodded. "I know it sounds stupid, but I want to confront him, get him to apologize for what he did."

"And how are you planning on doing that?"

"I don't know. What do you suggest?" It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, sarcasm brimming in every word, but Zack answered it anyway.

"I suggest you go home and leave this all behind you."

"What!"

"Look, Axel, I admire you for surviving all that shit, then being able to come here and look for the guy, but you don't know what he's like now. Some of the things that guy's done would make you want to curl into a ball and never speak again," Zack explained, his voice much calmer than Axel would have thought it would be.

"I don't give a fuck what he's done." Axel stood up and prepared to take off, glaring at Zack all the while. "If you're not going to help me at all, then I'm going to just going to have to find him on my own."

"And what about Roxas?"

He froze, feeling his breath getting caught in his throat. "What?"

"Tifa told me that Roxas has come to find you, Axel. He knows you're here, and trust me, you're a hell of a lot easier to find than Reno. What happens when he finds you? Will you continue to search and send him off? Will you bring him with you, putting him in extreme danger? And what about if you die. What happens if Reno is too much for you and you don't survive meeting him? What do you think Roxas will do then?"

There was no answer for what Zack was asking. Axel hadn't thought about what would happen with Roxas, mainly because he hadn't made the connection that Roxas was coming to find him.

He should have, but he didn't.

"Just let me tell you about what he's done," Zack pleaded, "then if you still want to find him, I'll tell you where you can find him."

Axel rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Fine, tell me what's become of my dear father. I know a shit ton of people are afraid of him but-"

"It's not just a shit ton of people, Axel, and they aren't just afraid of him," Zack interrupted. Axel growled, irritated, and waited for the man to continue. "Every person who's ever met Reno of SeeD is terrified of him."

"Reno of SeeD?"

"That gang he's a part of is called SeeD, which just happens to be the gang of my mortal rival Seifer. Seifer's just as bad as Reno is, only, he sits back and watches other people do his dirty work. Reno actually does the shit."

"So..."

"When I first met the guy, I guess it would have been a few years before you said he locked you out of the house, it was his initiation into SeeD. Normally, the initiation is just a few guys going out to beat some random punk up, maybe have a few beers, but that's not what I saw. I was actually with Tifa, Roxas' mother when we saw the group of SeeD members walking down the streets. It had been right before she disappeared, so she was different than how you know her. Cold, distant, a dangerous fighter, but what the two of us saw made her puke right then and there."

"Just tell me what he did," Axel snapped, frustrated. He wasn't in any mood for a long story, though it was interesting to hear that Roxas' mom knew Reno.

"He slaughtered a ten year old girl."

"W-What?"

"A ten year old girl by the name of Jessie," Zack said in a quiet voice. "We all knew her well. She was the daughter of a baker who sold us bread all the time. A sweet little girl who always tagged along with Tifa when she saw her. Smart too. Aerith was convinced she was going to get out of here and make a life for herself somewhere else. But Reno saw her wandering the streets barely after night fall, and he grabbed her arm, probably breaking it immediately. Before either Tifa or I could react, he stabbed her in the stomach."

Zack looked as though he were about to either cry, or throw up. His face was pale, eyes closed. He looked like Axel felt.

Sick.

Disgusted.

Horrified.

"Why would he do that?" Axel asked. "How could anyone do that?"

"That's not all he did to her," Zack continued, ignoring Axel's questions. "Even though that wound would have killed her anyway, he continued to stab her, laughing all the while, slashing at her face and arms, then he left her, mutilated, dying, but alive." The last part seemed to really get to Zack. "The son of a bitch! The worst thing he could have done was leave her with all that pain and suffering, but he did. Once Reno and the others were gone, I managed to get Tifa to come down with me to talk to the girl. She was happy to see us, and she asked me to give her parents the money she'd collected from delivering bread. I was the one who delivered the news to her father."

Axel was speechless, sitting there. His father did this? Killed such an innocent girl so horribly? He always knew the man was a horrible person, but to do something so merciless...

"That's only the first thing he did. That man terrorizes every person he runs into. I even found out later he's the one who nearly killed Tifa. Vincent's pretty much the only one in my gang who'll go out at night now. Everyone else is too afraid to leave the safe house. Even then we don't feel completely safe there."

"How is this guy still on the streets?" Axel asked, horrified. "How could no one have stopped him?"

"He's smart. Tifa told me you were a genius, right? Well, you must have gotten it from him." After a moment of letting all of that sink in, Zack sighed and stood up. "Now do you want to find him? Give him a piece of your mind?"

Axel looked down at his hands. "Yeah, I do." Before Zack could protest, he stood up, towering over the man. "I know it sounds stupid, but I need to find him. I need to do something, or I'm never going to be able to let it go."

Zack didn't do anything for a moment, then sighed.

* * *

_Axel ran as quickly as he could, trying hard not to laugh so he wouldn't run out of breath. The rain whipping at his skin was somewhat frightening, reminding him of his near death experience, but still, he couldn't help but feel exhilaration._

_ Sixteen, in college, and running from drunk, angry seniors. _

_ What better way to spend his spring break?_

_ "Get back here you little fucker!" Some guy Axel didn't know was yelling after him, but it was difficult to hear thanks to both the rain, and the fact the guy was so drunk his speech was slurred. Everything about it made Axel want to laugh. Especially the reason he was being chased._

_ Stealing the MP3 player of the frat party's host._

_ Of course, Axel had a reason for doing this other than just to annoy the guys; he'd been terrorized by this frat group since his first day of classes, so he decided he was going to get back at them. They made his life hell, he crashed their party._

_ In his book, that was an excellent way to get revenge._

_ Even if it meant having to get soaking wet while running through a nearly empty park. The idea of catching a cold didn't even stop him, mainly because there was no way Axel would every catch a cold. The last time he'd been sick was from the hypothermia, but since then, nothing. Other than being underweight, and short for his age, Axel had nothing physically wrong with him._

_ Mentally, on the other hand..._

_ Finally, the people chasing him gave up, screaming curses and insults after him. Axel had to laugh at their idiocy. Not only were they drunk, in the middle of a city park, while it was raining and cops were everywhere, but they'd been outsmarted by a sixteen year old. A kid they'd assumed was spoiled and living on "daddy's money," as they put it. Everyone in the college thought Axel was just using his dads' money to get what he wanted._

_ They didn't even know he was a genius._

_ Which he found to be weird, seeing as not many sixteen year old guys could get into one of the best colleges in the world, unless they were a genius. Axel assumed they were just complete idiots. _

_ "Now then," he muttered to himself, wiping away water from his vibrant green eyes, "where shall I shelter from this god awful rain?"_

_ There was pretty much nowhere to hide from the droplets of water falling down on him. Trees didn't work as well as movies made them to, though, it would be better than getting completely soaked. _

_ As he moved towards the only clump of trees that had any leaves on them, Axel made sure to keep his eye out for any frat boys who decided they didn't want to give up on finding and castrating the red head. Instead of frat boys, however, Axel spotted something a lot more interesting._

_ Two young boys, probably around nine, romping around in a pile of mud, laughing, and attempting to shove each other into the pile. Axel smiled, reminded of the time's he and Ellie would go out after a rain shower and play around without a care in the world._

_ But now she was gone, and Axel was too busy with classes to really hang out with anyone._

_ With a laugh, Axel turned away from the boys, figuring they would be leaving soon anyway, but one boy called out the others name, and that immediately took over Axel's attention._

_ "Wow, you're so weak, Roxas!"_

_ Roxas. Axel's head swung around to examine the boys again. One had light brown hair, tall, lanky, wearing clothes people would consider to be skater clothing, which was weird for such a young kid. The other boy had sandy blond unkempt hair, a dark, baggy t-shirt, and a pair jeans, most likely an outfit to rebel against his mom. Again, strange for a nine year old boy, if he was nine._

_ Which Axel knew he was._

_ After all, he was seven years older than the Strife boy._

_ "Roxas," he whispered, eyes never leaving the blond. "Huh." The last time he'd seen the boy had been six years ago, when he had been pecked on the lips. Axel doubted the boy remembered that incident, or that the three year old Roxas knew what a kiss on the lips meant, or what that one incident had done to Axel._

_ He wanted him to know, though. _

_ "Now look who's weak!" Roxas said as he tripped his friend, flipping him into the mud. "Take that!" Axel laughed quietly, amused by the triumphant look on Roxas' face, and at how high and cute his voice sounded. Axel had become accustomed to the dark, already matured voices of the college students._

_ He found it refreshing to hear a kids voice._

_ Especially one of a boy who wasn't a bastard like the rest of them._

_ "Cheater!"_

_ "Cheater? How did I cheat?"_

_ "We said no tripping."_

_ "You would have done it to me!"_

_ "So? That's not the point here."_

_ "You're so stupid, Hayner."_

_ Their banter, which Axel enjoyed listening to, was quickly interrupted by a woman's voice calling out from the distance. The boy who wasn't Roxas, Hayner, perked up immediately, then let out a groan. _

_ "Man, why does Mom have to show up now?"_

_ "Sucks to be you, doesn't it?" Roxas laughed, dodging the fistful of mud being thrown at him. "Hey! No throwing!"_

_ "No tripping."_

_ "Hayner, Roxas, get over here now!"  
_

_Axel couldn't help but crack up at the exchange. The boys were so innocent, arguing about the rules being broken. If only more people were like that._

_ After that last call, both the boys were too far out of hearing range for Axel to see what they were arguing about this time, though he assumed it was the same thing as before. Axel was tempted to follow them, learn more about the nine year old boy he hadn't seen in six years, but he held back. It would make him a stalker if he did that, and already he was in the police's records for arson._

_ Which of course were false charges. Sure, he'd set fire to the principal's desk, but it had been an accident._

_ Somewhat._

_ He hadn't known the lighter he was playing with would fall from his hand, much less catch the desk on fire. As far as he was concerned, it was too small of a flame to to much of anything, but nope. He'd been suspended for three days, and now had a juvenile record. _

_ But, that one small accident kept Axel on his toes for everything, and getting charged with stalking a minor wouldn't really look good for him._

_ He even guessed Ellie wouldn't talk to him anymore. Already she was busy with her new friends at the boarding school she was attending. One incident and she could just run off with her boyfriend, never to see her family again. Axel didn't doubt she would do that. She had been acting weird recently anyway, like she was hiding something from him._

_ So, all the more reason to just let Roxas go off._

_ He didn't want to, though._

* * *

_ "You cut your hair."_

_ "You got taller."_

_ "Yeah, hit my growth spurt. Apparently my family doesn't get tall until age seventeen."_

_ "How tall are you now?"_

_ "Six four."_

_ "Holy shit."_

_ "Yeah..."_

_ "So, what are you doing here?" _

_ Axel clenched his fist and glared at Ellie. "Ellie, you're in the hospital, after nearly dying, because your boyfriend went nuts and stabbed you!" Rolling her eyes, Ellie tried to sit up, but Axel grabbed her shoulder and shoved her down again, glare getting narrower. "Uh-uh. You stay down."_

_ "Bastard," Ellie muttered, before sighing. "He only stabbed me once. The rest was just cutting me."_

_ "Cutting you? That's what you call it?" Axel couldn't believe what his cousin was saying. "I saw the pictures, Ellie. He fucking shredded you!"_

_ "That's exaggerating-"_

_ "Yeah. So exaggerating. That's why you have over twenty cuts on your stomach, chest, and arms. The doctor said it's gonna leave scars. Not only that, but he doesn't even know how you survived!"_

_ "Axel..." He was standing by now, fists clenched, and a fire gleaming in his eyes. Ellie placed a tentative hand on his arm and pushed down slightly, beckoning for him to sit down. "There's no need for you to get this upset. It's over now. He's in a mental hospital, I'm safe, and-"_

_ "What about the scars it's gonna leave? How are you going to explain that to any guy you get with?" Axel sat, feeling as though he were about to cry. If only he'd been there, like he was supposed to be. He was supposed to meet Ellie and her boyfriend, Terra, for a get together, but he couldn't go. He had a final to do. _

_ He had his chance to save Ellie, to repay her, and he failed. For the second time._

_ "I don't want to "get with" another guy, Axel. You don't have to worry about that." A dark look crossed her face as she said this, and she glanced down at her lap. "I don't want to get close to anyone ever again."_

_ Axel didn't know what to say. He could argue with her, say that not all guys were insane, but he didn't want to. He honestly didn't want her to be with anyone. It was somewhat selfish of him, but Axel wanted Ellie to only talk to him again, to only think of him and Demyx when she thought of her family, and people she loved. He wanted things to be the way they were before she went to the boarding school. Before she met her friends there._

_ So he didn't say anything to her. He just sat and watched as tears formed in her eyes, then stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her head against his chest. _

_ "You don't have to, Ellie," he muttered. "You don't have to get close to anyone. I'll be here for you. Demyx too."_

_ He thought this was what Ellie wanted to hear._

_ It wasn't._

_ "No! I don't want to do that!" She said, pulling away. "I don't want you to change your life because of me! I can take care of myself, Axel. I've proved that. You love someone already, right?"_

_ Axel thought of the blond Strife boy, of Roxas, and blushed, but shook his head. "It's not love, Ellie. I just care about him like... like a brother."_

_ "Uh huh. Sure." There was a moment of awkward silence, before Ellie said, "Axel, will you promise me something?"_

_ "What?"_

_ "Will you stop looking for your father?"_

_ "Excuse me?" He couldn't believe he was hearing this. From Ellie. She had always been supportive of his search. She'd always been supportive, and even promised to help him with his mission when he graduated from high school. What changed. "How could you ask me to do that? How could you ask me to do that?"_

_ "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to interrupt me, okay?"_

_ "I'm not making any promises."_

_ "Axel..."_

_ Axel rolled his eyes. "Fine. What?"_

_ "I don't know what it was, but after Terra... stabbed me, and I fell into an unconscious state, I had this weird dream, like I was sitting in the middle of nowhere, on a bench. Then, my mom's there, sitting next to me, smiling." Ellie smiled up at Axel. "Do you know what she said to me?" Axel was about to answer, then realized it was a rhetorical question and shut his mouth, pouting slightly from having to listen to this. "She said to me, 'I'm so glad. I'm so glad you're alive." She stopped talking, waiting for Axel to say something. He just shrugged, looking away._

_ "So?"_

_ "It made me realize something: I didn't manage to survive those men because I'm supposed to be find them, and you didn't beat all odds and survive the streets as a three year old to hunt down your father. The two of us are here right now because we have to live our lives in the present. Not in the past. That's what our moms would have wanted." She paused for a moment, then sighed. "We've both been through so many things. Why should we go looking for pain?"_

_ There was nothing Axel could say to counter that. _

_ "Fine," he muttered, sitting again._

_ "You promise me that you won't go looking for your dad, just like I won't go looking for the people who killed my family?"_

_ "Yeah."_

_ "Pinky promise?" Axel raised an eyebrow questioningly at the childish gesture, but hooked his pinky with Ellie's._

_ "Pinky promise."_

* * *

There was a building. A single building. That's where Zack had instructed Axel to go to.

Where his father was.

Hand shaking, he grabbed the doorknob, not sure if he should do this or not. He'd been thinking about the day when Ellie was in the hospital, where he promised her he wouldn't look for his father. Pinky promised, for that matter. You didn't go against those. And yet he did, not long after that day. He'd found something that intrigued him.

A police report mentioning something about a guy named Reno.

That's what started his frenzy.

The answer to his one question: where was his father. He had planned to let it go after that, not go looking for him, but the more he looked into the location, the more desperate he'd become to find the man. Roxas beginning work had stopped it for a while, but the desperation to find him became too strong.

Axel just wished he hadn't gotten Roxas to fall in love with him so soon. He wanted to leave first, deal with his father, then get back and finish what he started with Roxas. That way, he wouldn't have gotten as hurt.

But of course, that's not what happened.

"Who da hell are ya?" Axel spun around immediately, but it was too late to defend himself. The guy who called out to him grabbed his chest and shoved him against the door, pressing his arm against Axel's neck. "What da ya want wit us?"

At first the pain was from the neck, but the strange man's speech and grammar was what really pissed him off.

He tried to talk, but the fact that there was a arm pressed against his throat kept him from being able to make a sound. The guy realized this, and let him go. Coughing and wheezing, Axel growled, "I'm looking for a guy named Reno. Ever heard of him?"

"Reno? You lookin' for Reno?" The guy laughed like Axel was some kind of idiot.

"I do believe that's what I said," Axel replied calmly, still massaging his throat. "Please take me to him."

"And why da fuck would I do dat? Who da fuck are ya?" If this guy hadn't been a good two hundred pounds heavier than Axel, he would have attacked him. But, since Axel could probably get his skull bashed in with one hit from the fist, he didn't dare try and do anything. Roxas? Easy to take down. That kid was almost a foot shorter than Axel, and really weak. Not this guy.

"Because I need to have a talk to him. Got it?"

"You're a stupid idiot. Reno'll kill ya in a second. Ya want that?"

"No he won't."

"Really? What makes ya so damn sure?"

"Because I'm his son."

There was laughter, then silence. "You ain't no son o' Reno's. He ain't got no son at all. No bitch would want to be with dat guy."

"Well, it's a good thing my mother wasn't a bitch. I want to talk to him now."

"Get da fuck out o' here. You ain't got no business talking ta Reno, so scram before I kill ya!"

"Now, now, Rude, there's no need to threaten this young man. He said he wanted to talk to me, so let him talk to me," a cool voice said. Shiver's ran up Axel's spine. He recognized that voice. From behind the bulky man, a tall, red headed man appeared, placing a hand on his friends shoulder. "Hello, Axel. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

* * *

_ "Axel? Hey, wake up!" Axel jerked awake and glared at the person talking to him. He didn't like being woken up, especially not when he was so tired from school. _

_ "What the hell do you want, Ellie?" he snapped, slumping back in his chair. Well, his and Ellie's chair, as it was in the apartment they shared. The two had decided to share a place until either they graduated from college and got jobs, or they found other people to split rent with._

_ "I told you that I needed you to meet someone today," she said, her cheeks slightly pink. "You remember that, don't you?" _

_ Axel was immediately awake after this. Ellie never blushed. She must have found someone she either liked, or had a tendency to embarrass her. Both of which were interesting, and didn't fit Ellie's personality at all. Especially since she said she would never get close to another person ever again._

_ "Person? Meeting? What?" He asked, rubbing his head. He honestly didn't remember her ever telling him she wanted him to meet someone, and even if she had, there was no way he'd agree to it. Axel didn't like meeting new people._

_ Sadly, everything suddenly made sense._

_ There was no way Ellie told him about this whole ordeal, and she had a reason for it: don't let him hide. _

_ "Well, he's coming over right now, and I thought you'd want to meet him," was Ellie's reply, smiling slightly. She plopped down in the couch next to Axel's seat and glared at him with what kids liked to call "puppy eyes." Now normally Axel wouldn't be affected by a girl trying to act cute and innocent, seeing as he didn't have any sexual feelings for females, but Ellie looked so pathetic when she did that he really had no choice._

_ It was like she was his little sister or something, even though she was older than he._

_ "Ugh, fine," Axel groaned, rubbing his temples. "But if he's some kind of freak I'm going to murder him, you do realize this, right?" Ellie bit her lip, then pushed away from the couch arm for a minute, pondering something. Axel had to let out a sigh._

_ Ellie always seemed to fall in love with the weirdos._

_ "What's wrong with this guy? And why are you dating him anyway? I thought you didn't want to-"_

_ "There's nothing wrong with him!" Ellie exclaimed, looking hurt, "And I _never_ said we were dating!"_

_ "But you are, aren't you?"_

_ "Well..."_

_ "Look, I don't really care, as long as you don't get hurt again," Axel explained, though it wasn't completely true. He didn't want Ellie to leave him again. He didn't think he could deal with being separated from his best friend, and if she really did like this guy, she would most likely follow him to the ends of the earth._

_ Even though she wouldn't admit it._

_ Right before Ellie could say anything, and she looked like she really wanted to, there was a knock on the front door of their apartment, and Ellie bolted out of the couch, muttering something about perfect timing. _

_ With another sigh, deeper this time, Axel payed close attention to the conversation going on in the front area of the apartment. The voices were hushed, but Axel could hear something in Ellie's voice that he'd never heard before. She was acting like she was shy, embarrassed, and the tone coming from the guy seemed to irritate Axel. _

_ The guy sounded confident and cocky._

_ It had always been Axel's job to be like that._

_ He wasn't happy about it._

_ Finally, Ellie appeared again, face a light pink, and holding hands with a guy Axel had never seen before._

_ Tall, long silver hair, blue eyes, and a very nice build._

_ Axel's first impression: this guy was really hot._

_ Second impression: this guy was aggravating._

_ "Hey, the name's Riku," the guy said, holding out a hand, a smirk on his face. "You're Axel, right? Ellie's told me quite a bit about you."_

_ "Has she now," Axel hissed, standing up quickly. He wanted to make sure he was taller than this "Riku" person, as he didn't like to be shorter than people. It was a close call, but Axel was definitely taller. This seemed to intimidate Riku a bit._

_ Almost instantly, the two began glaring at each other, irritation flying from both. Ellie just stood there, face blank, glancing from Axel, back to Riku, to Axel again._

_ "Yeah, she has. Do you have a problem with that?"_

_ "Of course not. Why would I have a problem with Ellie talking about _me_?" Axel decided he was going to have fun with this guy, and make it seem like he was in love with Ellie. Try and scare him off a bit. But Riku just laughed, grabbing Ellie by the shoulders and pulling her into his embrace. His arms wrapped around her waist, and held her there, despite her struggling to get away. _

_ Axel knew he was making a big mistake; you never grabbed Ellie like that and survived._

_ It was only a matter of time before she got fed up enough to kick his ass._

_ "Give it up, Axel, I know you're gay," Riku countered, squeezing Ellie tighter. She gasped, then blushed._

_ Not the reaction Axel was expecting._

_ "Oh?" He said, irritation rising. "Did Ellie tell you that?"_

_ "Nope." The smirk on Riku's face was an interesting one, like he was hiding something important. "You sized me up when I walked in here, and not as if I were some kind of rival. You were checking me out. I don't really think guys who are straight would do that."_

_ Axel did not like this guy._

_ There was a way he talked, a way he held himself, and the fact that he was hugging Ellie from behind without being killed. All of those things just irritated Axel beyond belief._

_ "Oh, like you could tell what I was thinking during that time," Axel laughed, crossing his arms. Ellie looked beyond confused. Most likely, she thought nothing bad would happen, and Axel and Riku would just get along, have everything be perfect. But, that wasn't happening, and it was obvious she didn't know why._

_ Axel didn't really know why either. Maybe Riku reminded him of stories Ellie told of Terra, her psychotic ex-boyfriend._

_ Or, it could be that Ellie might be leaving him._

_ "Don't assume things, _Axel_. I'm a very different person than you probably think." He let Ellie go, a devilish look on his face. When she turned around to face him, however, the evil glint in his eye turned to one of adoration and kindness, and he smiled sweetly. "Yes?"_

_ "What the hell is going on?"_

_ "Nothing really. Your cousin's just being kinda weird." He leaned down and kissed her quickly, causing Axel to blanch. He was so glad Ellie wasn't look at him._

_ "You're the one who's acting weird," she muttered looking away. After a weird moment of silence, she sighed and turned back to Axel. "I'm just going to get something from my room, I'll be right back." Just before she disappeared into the back, she faced the two men and ordered, "Don't kill each other."_

_ "No promises," Axel muttered under his breath, still glaring at Riku. As soon as Ellie was no longer in the room, Axel began speaking again, voice still hushed. "What are you using Ellie for?" Riku laughed, like it was some kind of joke, but he began avoiding Axel's eyes, a sure sign Axel had hit a weak spot._

_ "What are you talking about? I'm not using Ellie," he retorted, voice shaking slightly. Axel decided it was time to instil his dominance. He grinned and walked forward, closing the distance between him and Riku, laughing lightly. Riku tensed, but didn't move, even when Axel lightly pressed his body against the stranger. Axel found this both amusing, and strange._

_ "The pretty ones are never straight," he whispered, then pulled away quickly. Riku looked as though he were on death's doorsteps, and he stumbled back slightly. _

_ "I'm not _using_ her." He was glowering, though the effect wasn't as great as it would have been before. "Maybe I was when we first met, but I had my reasons, and she knew it." This time, he was the one who took a step forward, grinning again. "Guess what, I'm completely in love with your cousin. What are you going to do about it?" He laughed and pushed past Axel, heading to the place he saw Ellie disappear off to._

_ Axel, however, grabbed his arm and yanked him back._

_ "One year. You have one year to change my mind and convince me not to kick your ass. Got it memorized?" Leaving the threat hanging in the air, Axel let go of Riku and headed back to his chair, collapsing in it as he listened to Ellie come back into the room, then Riku talking to her. Out of the corner of his eye, Axel saw Riku wrap his arm around Ellie's shoulder, pulling her close, a soft look in his eye._

_ It reminded Axel of how his mom looked when she had been in the same room as his father. _

_ It seemed Riku really did love Ellie, and he cared about her._

_ But why would that irritate Axel so much?_

* * *

_He was nervous._

_ He was never nervous._

_ But there was just something about the questions Cloud Strife was asking for the interview that got to Axel, like he was asking about more than just past jobs, or skills, work ethic, et cetera. _

_ That wasn't the case, of course, but Axel could tell that Mr. Strife had a knack for reading people, getting a feel of who would do well here. How else would he have built up such a famous and rich business while being so anti-social?_

_ "So, you're working on getting your doctorate right now?" _

_ "Yeah... I meant to finish it a while ago, but I keep forgetting to write my thesis."_

_ "Forgetting?"_

_ "I mean," Axel started to say, laughing, "I mean that I've been so busy that I've had no... _time_ to write a good enough thesis for my professor." He grinned, hoping Mr. Strife didn't think he was a lazy no good person. He was, of course, but he didn't want his maybe future boss to know that._

_ "Good save," was all Mr. Strife said, writing something in his notes. "I think that will do, thank you." He stood up, and Axel followed, though he regretted it immediately. He was quite a bit taller than Mr. Strife. _

_ "Alright, so I-"_

_ "You know my son, correct?" _

_ "W-what?" Sure, Axel knew about Roxas. Quite a bit about him, actually. Though he was quite a bit younger than Axel, being only fifteen, and Axel being twenty-two, Axel had become a tad bit obsessed with the boy. Whenever he saw him in the streets, or walking through the park near his house, Axel would feel a flutter in his stomach, like there was something crawling around in there that didn't belong._

_ He liked the feeling, though._

_ When he described it to Ellie, she laughed and told him that's what love is._

_ "If I remember correctly, you called my wife a bitch at a Christmas party twelve years ago, then ended up being kissed by my son," Mr. Strife replied. "Do you recall that day?"_

_ Completely embarrassed, Axel nodded, and turned around. "Yeah, I remember. But that was a long time ago, why does it-"_

_ "Because Roxas didn't stop talking about you for quite a while after that. He really liked you, and I just wanted to see how you felt about him before making my final decision."_

_ "Wait, what? Feelings for Roxas? Final decision?"_

_ "It's seems I was correct, and you have feelings of love for my son. Though, this may get in the way eventually, I feel that you are indeed the best man for the job, despite the fact you seem to have a lazy streak and temper." He held out his hand. "Congratulations, Axel Lea, you are officially going to be running the business with my son as soon as I retire."_

_ Axel didn't believe it._

_ He thought that Mr. Strife was pulling some kind of prank on him, joking, yanking on some strings, just to see how Axel would react to situations such as these. Not that they happened very often._

_ "Sir, I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand-"_

_ "You hit me in the head with a book, then still had the guts to come in here and be cocky and sarcastic," Mr. Strife explained. "That's the kind of person I need to work alongside Roxas, both in, and out of, this business."_

_ "Both in and out? What are you talking-"_

_ "For future reference, I don't care if you date Roxas, as long as you don't let it get in the way of your work, and no one gets hurt. Also, PDA's are not allowed, and wait for him to be at least eighteen. That way, I don't have to deal with Eraqus dealing with legal stuff. I don't like things like that."_

_ "Okay, okay, stop!" Axel shook his head, completely confused. "What are you talking about? What does this interview have anything to your son?"_

_ "It doesn't."_

_ "What?"_

_ "It has nothing to do with anything."_

_ "What are you-"_

_ "Here, tomorrow, eight AM. Do you understand?"_

_ Still slightly confused about what just happened, Axel nodded. "Yeah, but-"_

_ "Good, you may leave now."_

_ "Oh... o-okay?"_

_ He turned to leave, wondering how this could have happened in such a way. He didn't even think he'd done well with the interview, being sarcastic, not really answering any of the questions, not knowing how to be respectful, and of course, the fact that he accidentally hit the man in the head with a book right before the interview began. _

_ "Wait," he said suddenly, turning around again. "I'm the only person you've interviewed. What about the other guys out there? I'm pretty sure I'm not the best person you want to hire and work with your son for, uh... however long you want me to."_

_ Sitting at his desk, Mr. Strife raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling on his lips. "Obviously you're not as smart as your records say you are." _

_ This angered Axel quite a bit. His intelligent was never insulted, by anyone. They didn't dare to, knowing that he was a genius, and all. _

_ "Why do you say that?" He hissed, moving back towards the desk. "What makes you have the nerve to call me an idiot?" He slammed his hands on Mr. Strife's desk. "First you take me in first, then you ask me weird questions that don't really make any sense, then you say I'm hired while talking about your son and... well, me, then you tell me that I'm an idiot? What the fuck is going on here?"_

_ "Not the best way to talk to your boss, Mr. Lea," the man said, eyes narrowing. "Though, I do suppose I owe you somewhat of an explanation for what has happened here." He placed his chin on his hands, and Axel couldn't help but think that he was a sadistic person._

_ "Fine. Explain."_

_ "I knew before I even opened the door that most likely, you were the one I was going to hire." Axel groaned and sat down on one of the chairs before Mr. Strife's desk._

_ "You have video cameras out in the lobby."_

_ "Maybe you are the genius your professor says you are," Mr. Strife muttered. _

_ "My professor? You talked to my professor?" Axel couldn't believe what he was hearing. His college professor always hated Axel, making him out to be a monster or a freak who needed to stop being so smart. He never put out a good word for Axel, keeping him from getting his doctorate four times, and even going so far as trying to kick Axel out of school for getting a hundred on the test, accusing him of cheating._

_ Axel hated his professor._

_ "Yes, I did. When I saw your name on the application, I recognized it from the Christmas party twelve years ago, and I wanted to know more about you." There was something about the smile on his face that seemed rather scary to Axel. "Arrested for arson, civil unrest, accused of cheating, many hospital records from being beat up and random injuries, but never sick, and of course, my favorite," he grabbed a file off his his desk and opened it, placing it in front of Axel._

_ Another groan._

_ In the file was a document dating back to Axel's freshman year in college, talking about the day he decided to flood the science building. He never really figured out what possessed him to do such a thing, he just felt the urge to set off the fire sprinklers and some of the chemical showers on the floor._

_ They never actually discovered who did the deed, but he was one of the suspects. And Cloud knew it._

_ "How did you get that?" Axel asked, voice quiet._

_ "I told you, I talked to your professor. He was very willing to give me everything I wanted to know about you and your education."_

_ "That ass hole!"_

_ "Of course, what he told me only made me want to hire you. I had to check something else out first."_

_ "What else do you know about me?"_

_ "You'll find out eventually. Now leave."_

_ "Whoa, wait! Tell me-"  
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lea."_

_ "Bu-"_

_ "I _said_, 'I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lea.'"_

_ Axel rolled his eyes and stood up, extremely confused, annoyed, but at the same time extremely happy. He'd gotten the job. "Alright then, Mr. Boss-man."_

_ "Don't call me that."_

* * *

Just the sight of Reno made Axel feel sick to his stomach. Both fear and anger flowed through him, bringing about this feeling of nausea, nearly breaking Axel down. He'd been preparing himself for this moment for quite a while, psyching himself out so he wouldn't have any negative reaction to seeing the man who hurt him so much when he was a child.

Yet, it hadn't worked. He was shaking, so filled with fear and terror that he couldn't even move. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but stand there, face pale.

Reno seemed completely amused.

"What's wrong, _son_. You seem scared. Is the dark still terrifying to you?" He laughed, and took a step towards Axel. "I would have thought after twenty-three years, you would have gotten over that little fear of yours." He started laughing, flicking a long piece of red hair out of his face. "Or, is it that you're afraid of me?"

Axel's voice was still evading him, so he couldn't respond, only glare viciously, even though it didn't seem to phase Reno at all.

"So, I've been hearing rumors about you," Reno continued after a chuckle. "Stories say that you kept asking at me for a while, then just stopped, instead listening to every conversation you could, still trying to find out where I was, but never being able to find me." It's kinda interesting, don't you think? Twenty-three years ago, you ran away, and now you've come back to find me. Somewhat hypocritical, in my opinion."

More people had gathered in the dark alley way by this point, surrounding father and son, whispering to each other. Axel quietly observed the people as Reno talked, recognizing most of them from the streets, but was brought back to Reno's words when he mentioned what happened all those years ago.

He finally found his voice.

"Excuse me? Ran away?" Axel let out a laugh, trying to hold back the extreme fear he felt. "I did _not_ run away you fucking bastard," he hissed. Reno's blue eyes narrowed, arms crossing, but Axel continued. "You're the one who locked me out. I never did anything wrong."

"It's obvious your memories are distorted," Reno growled, stepping forward, "Of course, I can't really blame you, you were only three." He glanced around to the other people in the alley and began laughing. "Do any of you guys think I would lock a child out of his own house?" Everyone else in the alley laughed as well, but Axel could tell they were only laughing because they were afraid.

The look in their eyes let Axel know they did think he would, but they were too scared to say the truth.

"Nothing else to say, Axel? Interesting, they told me you were considered a genius. Honestly, I can't see it." The distance between the two was closed, and Reno clapped a hand on Axel's shoulder and grinned. "Good to see you again, son. I honestly thought you were dead until a little while ago, but it's good you aren't. Why don't you join the gang here? I'm sure you'd like it."

Saying this was a mistake.

Almost as soon as the last word left Reno's mouth, Axel grabbed his wrist, which was still near his shoulder, and twisted it viciously. Caught by surprise, his opponent's entire body contorted, and suddenly, the man was on his back, eyes wide with shock. Silence fell over the small crowd that had gathered as all of them stared in shock at what was going on.

"I want nothing to do with you," Axel hissed, standing over his father in a gloating manner. "I'm here to kick your ass for all the shit you did to me." He took a small step back as Reno crawled to his knees, head bent. Though Axel couldn't see the man's face, he knew there would be dangerous look there. After everything he'd heard about the man, there was no way there wouldn't be one.

Like a fool, Axel thought this would be the end of it. Maybe there was a small part of him that thought Reno wouldn't hurt his own son again. But he was wrong. In an instant Reno was on his feet again, and he grabbed the collar of Axel's shirt, a while glint in his eye.

"Kick my ass?" He laughed hysterically then shoved Axel away. "Don't make me laugh, boy. You couldn't hurt me if you tried!" Then there was a punch heading towards Axel's face. He managed to dodge it, but barely. Axel considered himself lucky, though. Nine years ago, Ellie had convinced him to join her in taking martial arts lessons. Though he'd never tell Roxas this, or anyone, for that matter, Axel had actually achieved his third degree black belt in a few years time.

So he knew how to fight, despite what others would tell him. Sure, he was thin, and slightly weak, but during his training, he'd managed to memorize every single pressure point and nerve known to man.

He couldn't lose this battle.

"Sure I can," Axel taunted, grinning. The fear was beginning to dissipate. "You're not that strong of an opponent." Most likely, taunting his enemy wasn't something he should have been doing, and he didn't realize this until Reno's foot came into contact with his stomach. He gasped and back away, ignoring the sudden noise coming from the crowd. It had been a while since they'd seen Reno fight, according to the rumors.

They were very excited about it.

Axel, on the other hand, wasn't excited at all. He couldn't stop thinking about all the things he and Ellie had talked about when it came to Axel's dad, or the look in Roxas' eyes when Axel refused to tell him about his real parents. The memories of searching through all the information on the internet, the things he'd heard about his father while searching through the dark, desolate streets, everything about everything.

Guilt.

Anger.

That's all he felt.

"Come on, son," Reno eventually snickered, lording over Axel who was crouched on the ground. "Give up while you're still alive. I don't want to hurt my own flesh and blood." The way he said that only angered Axel more. It was like he meant it, and at the same time, implied that he didn't consider Axel to be related to him.

Instead of giving up, like every instinct in his body was telling him to, Axel starting snickering. This didn't seem to phase Reno, but when Axel shifted and swung his leg under Reno's tripping the older man. As quickly as he could, he stood and fell into a normal fighting stance, just waiting for Reno to stand up again.

The fight moved quickly after that. Reno got to his feet and attacked Axel, swinging a dangerously fast punch, which Axel blocked, then an uppercut, which made contact. Trying to not show how much pain that caused, Axel retaliated immediately with a punch of his own. It was just as vicious as his father's, but it lacked a certain quality; a certain killing quality.

Even though he'd wanted to do this for years, unlike his father, he didn't actually want to hurt anyone.

He never liked to.

So Reno managed to catch the hand and twisted Axel's wrist. This time, he couldn't hold back the cry of pain. The sadistic laugh of Reno sounded, sending Axel into a sudden rage. His body acted on it's own as he began swinging at Reno, some missing, some landing very dangerous hits on the man's stomach, arms, and even face.

Yet, despite the fury of punches, Reno managed to attack as well.

He grabbed Axel by the collar again, moving extremely close, but instead of hitting, he shoved Axel back with quite a bit of force. The crowd moved away instantly, and Axel felt the contact of a cold, concrete wall against his back. Searing pain coursed through his entire body, especially the head, and he crumpled to the ground, panting.

"Pathetic," Reno rasped, trying to catch his breath. It seemed his age was catching up to him. "You're so pathetic, Axel. You always have been. Begging me for food, not even being able to take care of yourself for a little while as I mourned my own wife's death, and now you failed to get back at the man you falsely accuse of locking you out in the middle of December." He laughed viciously, sounding slightly desperate. "You're a pathetic person! And guess what, because of that, no one can ever love you! Elena didn't even love you. She just acted like it because she felt guilty for getting sick."

Axel didn't move. It was like he couldn't hear Reno, yet, at the same time, he could. Every word was like another knife being stabbed into his heart. The words could easily be true; it was highly possible that no one loved Axel, that he was just a pathetic man. After all, he couldn't even get over what happened when he was younger.

Ellie did.

Riku managed.

Naminé too, didn't blame her grandmother for anything.

Roxas stopped hating Axel after a while.

Kairi no longer wanted to slap Riku.

Sora got his act together after a time and started being friends with Riku again.

Even Tifa and Cloud moved on from their past demons.

Yet Axel couldn't.

Every day of his life after being adopted by Saïx and Xemnas, Axel desperately wanted to find his dad, his real dad, and ask why. He wanted to know everything that was going through Reno's head when he locked the door that day and didn't let Axel back in, even though he knew Reno could hear him tap on the window. For the three days that Axel waited out by the door, hoping that his dad would open it, he listened to the TV blaring, and the laughter of his dad who didn't seem to want to leave. He wondered why the door didn't open, what he did wrong, how his dad couldn't hear him.

Then when he left the front door to go and find some kind of food, he still returned every day, hoping that the door would open.

One day it did.

No one was there.

Nothing was there.

So he left again, calling out for his dad, wanting to find where he was, making sure to avoid people so they didn't try and take him away.

Then a few weeks passed.

And he didn't want to look any longer.

Weak, and tired, he lay down and didn't want to wake up.

_"We should be friends."_

_"Friends?"_

_ "Yeah! Friends!"_

_ "O-okay..."_

_ "What's wrong?"_

_ "I've never had a friend before."_

Axel clenched his fist. Would Ellie have said that if she didn't like him?

_"Guess what? I love you."_ He remembered those words coming from Roxas, a while ago. Even though the boy had been slightly drunk, the fact that he whispered those words, especially on Axel's birthday, had only made Axel love Roxas more.

Would he have muttered that to Axel if it wasn't true? People always say that the drunk can only say what's really on their mind, after all.

Axel's mind whirred, thinking of all the times he'd been with Roxas. Had those been fake? Suddenly, he became aware of a body hovering over his, and the press of a cold blade against his cheek. The instant this happened, Axel's mind snapped back to the alley way, and he lifted his face, not caring that the knife cut his skin slightly.

Reno looked somewhat surprised that Axel was smirking at him, and he reached up and grabbed the wrist holding the knife.

"It's amazing how much you love to derive pleasure from other people's misery," Axel said laughing. "Here I thought you were just an emotionless bastard, but no. You actually like to see people suffer. You become happy when you see them fall into a depression." His grip tightened around the wrist, even though he knew it would do nothing to Reno. "Did you know, there's actually a word for that?"

"Hmph. You're nothing but an idiot," Reno muttered. He yanked his hand away from Axel and came down to stab, but missed, as Axel rolled out of the way. He stood up again just as Reno came at him. He grabbed the arm before he could attack, and pulled Reno in. The man fell off balance, and right into Axel's knee. He groaned, dropping the knife, and Axel kicked it out of the way, grabbing Reno's shirt and yanking him up.

Grinning, he shoved the man back, trying to ignore the splitting headache in the back of his head. Deep down, he knew he needed to end this soon. He'd hit his head extremely hard, and any second, he could collapse.

"Ready to be done, Reno? You've lost your weapon," Axel taunted. He heard footsteps behind him, then Reno screaming.

"Stay back you idiots! He's mine!"

Axel smiled, realizing that his father had a narcissistic streak. The man had to do everything on his own. He was feeling embarrassed, probably having never been this beaten up before.

So, Axel didn't want to give him a chance to attack again, as he seemed completely desperate. Any more, and Axel could be killed.

It only took one more hit to the face to send Reno to the ground. Panting, Axel stepped back from the man, laying down on the ground.

"Now who's pathetic," he muttered, stumbling away. His vision was going fuzzy, and his head hurt horribly. People moved out of the way, a low whisper of words following every move Axel made. But they didn't follow him, as he hoped they wouldn't. If they followed, he could be attacked when he was most vulnerable.

Which happened quite quickly after he managed to get out of the strange alley way. He sunk to his knees, the black cloud of unconsciousness taking over his eyes.

He was going to pass out.

He smiled, and closed his eyes.

* * *

_Axel loved his music. He had all different styles on his iPod, classical, pop, rock, classic rock, rap, and even screamo. Most looked through his music list and cringed, wondering how a person could like so many different songs, but Axel didn't care. Ever since he was young, he was obsessed with everything about music, even going to far as to start writing it sometimes._

_ So, standing outside the elevator door, after having a wonderful conversation with Naminé about how pathetic most guys were, Axel decided it was time to switch his listening preference, having been going on a random rap phase, and instead began to play some random heavy metal song that he couldn't remember putting on his iPod. _

_ Suddenly he heard muttering behind him, and he turned slightly, only to see someone he wasn't expecting to until the end of the summer: Roxas Strife. _

_ Smirking to himself, he turned up his music, hoping to attract that irritated looking boy's attention some how. Sure, the two of them would be working together in the near future, but he wanted to make an interesting impression on the teen, as it would begin the process of getting __him to fall in love._

_ However, the boy seemed oblivious to Axel,instead crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently while he waiting with Axel for the elevator to come. _

_ Finally, it came, and Axel immediately walked into it, knowing Roxas would have no choice but to follow. When he turned around again, however, Roxas hadn't moved at all, instead, rolling his gorgeous blue eyes with frustration. Axel grinned, he'd made an impression._

_ After a while Roxas did join Axel in the elevator, which only amused Axel more. He intended to look away once Roxas had entered, but he found he couldn't take his eyes off the boy. He watched as Roxas pushed the thirteenth floor button, admiring the way he moved, and his messy, blond hair. _

_ Once the doors closed, he managed to tear his eyes away from the boy. However, an awkward air fell over the elevator, as there was no one else in the area and Roxas seemed determined to be what Axel called a sour puss. After a while, it was irritated to Axel, who only wanted to hear Roxas' voice, so he ripped out his earphones, turned off the music, and looked down at Roxas._

_ "I hate the current atmosphere," he exclaimed, grinning when the boy looked up at him. Axel nearly choked when he made eye contact with the crystal blue orbs. However, he continued before Roxas became suspicious. "You look familiar. What's your name?" He was having fun with this, knowing there was no way Roxas would recognize him. He leaned down, wanting to be closer to the eighteen year old. _

_ He took a step back, his face slightly pink, which was odd, and he answered, "Roxas Strife. Who are you?"_

_ Yep. He didn't recognize him. Realizing he was completely in love with a person who had no idea who he was, Axel shook his head slightly and decided to act like an idiot. "Roxas Strife? The boss' son? No wonder you look familiar." He laughed, trying not to feel like a horrible person for what he was thinking at that moment, as it was rather disturbing. Roxas, however, seemed completely irritated._

_ "What does it matter to you?" His voice did things to Axel that no other voice could, even if it was full if annoyance. "And you didn't answer my question."_

_ Axel decided in that moment he wasn't going to use Roxas' real name. It seemed too mature for such a cute looking boy. There was only one other name he could use. "What would that question be, Roxie?"_

_ He could see the boy flinch, obviously not liking his nickname. _

_ "Don't call me that," he snapped. "I only asked you one question."_

_ "Aw," Axel cooed, extremely tempted to wrap his arm around the teens shoulders, "does the spoiled little rich boy not want a nickname? How adorable." If only Roxas knew how true that statement was. Axel had become extremely turned on by the fact that the boy was irritated. "Now, I had forgotten your question," Axel lied. "What was it again?"_

_ "I asked you- You know what? Never mind."_

_ "Never mind? You asked me the question, I want to know what it is. Come on, just tell me." Axel gave into his feelings at this point, and he slipped an arm around the thin shoulders of the boy standing next to him. However, he shrugged the arm off, then turned, eyes narrowed in a glare. Having the time of his life, Axel decided to glare back, trying to scare the boy slightly._

_ He assumed it was working._

_ "What's wrong?" He smirked. "Scared of the answer?"_

_ "Why would I be afraid of your answer? I just don't care anymore." It was obvious it was a lie. Roxas seemed to be completely scared of Axel. It was obvious with the way he shifted away from Axel, wringing his hands together, and the fact that he was avoiding all eye contact._

_ Axel was completely amused._

_ As soon as the elevator door opened, Axel slipped out of it, making sure to brush up against Roxas once, then he dashed to the stairwell, desperate to talk to Ellie. He waved at a very confused looking Kairi._

_ He didn't have time to say anything to her, as he had more important things to do, and he didn't want Roxas to know where he had gone. Screw with the boy a little bit._

_ It didn't take very long for him to make it downstairs, nor to make it to Ellie's office. What took a while, was to make sure he let his boss know that he would be a little late for the stupid meeting he had to go to, which probably concerned Roxas._

_ Before he opened the door, he dialed the number for Kairi's office, making sure to block the number. Have a bit more fun._

"Hello, Cloud Strife's office, this is Kairi, how may I help you?"

_ "Sup Kai?"_

"Axel! There you are! Mr. Strife has been looking for-"

_"Is his son there right now?"_

"What?"

_"Is his son, Roxie, there right now?"_

"Yes."

_"Okay, is he in his dad's office right now?"_

"No... Axel, where are you?"

_"Floor below yours."_

"Why are you on the twelfth floor?"

_"Why do you think?"_

"Please don't tell me you've gone to bug Ellie and Riku again..."

_"Yes, I have. Just let Mr. Boss-man know I'll be a bit late. Okay?"_

"Fine, I'll let him know."

_ "Thanks Kai! See you later!" He hung up the phone before the woman could say anything else, and decided it was time to open Ellie's office door. Slowly, and quietly, hoping to see an interesting scene, which sometimes happened. _

_ He happened to get lucky._

_ Riku had his back to the door, blocking the view of the small attorney which his arms were trapping against the desk. Though Axel couldn't see her, he knew she was probably bright red, and wanted her boyfriend to leave her alone. Riku, however, was extremely stubborn. One quality in him Axel could respect. Other than that, he hated the guy._

_ Or just thought he was a player._

_ Even after four years of Riku dating Ellie, he just couldn't trust the guy._

_ Still, it was entertaining for him to see all the stuff that happened when Riku was supposed to behave, and refused. Like what was happening right now._

_ "Riku, move," he heard Ellie mutter. "You need to get your ass home and make sure you don't get really sick."_

_ "Hm... I don't really want to," Riku replied, his voice low and hoarse. "Instead, how about you come over and..." His voice dropped too low for Axel to hear, but whatever it was sent Ellie into a frenzy, shoving Riku away, and Axel saw her place a hand on his forehead. Riku groaned, and grabbed her wrist, pulled it away. "What was that for-"_

_ "You have a fever, you fucking idiot. Go. Home!" She managed to struggle away from Riku, her face a deep shade of crimson. It was then she spotted a snickering Axel, and she covered her mouth._

_ "Axel! What the hell?"_

_ "Need to talk to you, Riku, get out."_

_ "Make me," Riku growled. "She's _my_ girlfriend, not yours."_

_ "Obviously. I'm not that desperate."_

_ "Axel!"_

_ "What, it's true!" He snickered at Ellie's narrowed eyes, and Riku's completely confused expression. He was kidding, and Ellie probably knew that, but it was still funny to see her reaction. "Anyway, Riku, I need to talk to Ellie about something private so get the hell out before I report you for being here while sick. You know how much Mr. Boss-man hates it when people are stupid and come to work sick."_

_ Riku sighed, then turned around to Ellie again, grabbing her around the waist. Axel groaned, realizing what was going on and he turned away, not really looking forward to Riku kissing his best friend. _

_ Finally, Riku passed by Axel, smirking at him, and despite the fevered look on his face, he seemed extremely smug and irritating. _

_ Axel hated that._

_ Ellie, on the other hand, was completely red in the face muttering to herself about something Axel didn't really want to know._

_ "What do you want, Axel?" She asked after a time, sighing. Axel could only smile, only it wasn't really a smile. More a grin of absolute evilness. He could see Ellie shiver slightly, probably realizing that Axel was planning something._

_ "Guess who I saw in the lobby?"_

_ "Who?"_

_ "Guess!"_

_ Ellie didn't look very happy, but Axel could care less. He was too excited for Ellie's irritation to get to him. "Santa Clause?"_

_ It was obvious Ellie was being sarcastic when she said this. She tended to become like this when she was embarrassed and frustrated about something. It was a quality in her that Axel found to be very annoying. So there was only one thing he could do._

_ "Yes, Ellie. Santa Clause. In June. It's a miracle, now you can ask for the assistant Boss-man's been promising you for the past two months." He smiled, mockingly, but Ellie just rolled her eyes._

_ "Fuck you, Axel. Who are you talking about?"_

_ "Roxas."_

_ "The boy you've been obsessed with since you were ten?"_

_ "I have _not_ been _obsessed_ with him."_

_ "Yes you have."_

_ "Whatever," Axel muttered. "Anyway, I just saw him in the lobby, and rode up with him in the elevator, and he's so fucking adorable!" It was impossible to hide the excitement in his voice. "Though, I think he doesn't like me very much. He also doesn't remember who I am, so he probably doesn't remember that night when he kissed me, but I don't care because he's so good looking, and his voice is kinda deep, but also not, it's like he's a fifteen year old, though based on the fact that I'm seven years older than him, he would be eighteen, which means he's legal and I can't get in trouble anymore if I really want to date him and-"_

_ "God, Axel, you've had, what? One conversation with him," Ellie interrupted, covering her ears. "You sound like a girl in love."_

_ Axel had to laugh at the last sentence. "Only half of that is true. I'm totally in love, but I'm not a girl." _

_ "You act like it sometimes." She sighed. "Anyway, what do you want from me right now?"_

_ "To talk about Roxie."_

_ There was an annoying silence that fell over the two in the room, until Ellie groaned. "Go to your damn meeting with Mr. Strife."_

_ "Yes ma'am!"_

_ "Oh, Axel?"_

_ "Yes?  
_

_"I need that report."_

* * *

_ "Roxas is an idiot who needs to stop being an asshole and realize that he likes me!" Axel couldn't take it anymore. He could ignore Roxas being open about his hatred towards Axel, but that was before New Years, and their trip to Twilight Town, which in Axel's opinion, had been the best night in the world. Being with Roxas like that had been a dream come true for him._

_ But the teen just _had_ to go and ruin it, even after he'd broken up with his girlfriend, and been the one to come onto Axel in Twilight Town, by saying he didn't have any feelings for Axel._

_ He'd been brave enough to say that he just wanted to be friends after all they did._

_ It was extremely annoying to Axel._

_ "Did you ever think," Ellie said slowly, flipping over the page of her report, "that he _doesn't_ like you, and that you just want him to, so you convinced yourself that all signs of embarrassment are there because he wants to do you?"_

_ "You mock me!" Axel exclaimed, slamming his hands down on her desk. "I am in no way that kind of person, Miss Ellie! I know that Roxas likes me, maybe loves me, because he practically said so when he allowed me to strip him back in-"_

_ "Too much information!" Ellie let out a frustrated groan and covered her eyes with one hand. "I did _not_ need to know that you idiot! I told you, 'don't tell me anything about what goes on with you and Roxas!'" _

_ "Sorry, I'm just irritated."_

_ "I noticed."_

_ "Can you really blame me? First he likes me, then he and his girlfriend break up, then he tells me that he has no feelings for me whatsoever. What's next? I'm the sexiest man in the world?"_

_ "Wow, Axel... just... just wow."_

_ "What?"_

_ "You're being a complete idiot! If you want to be with Roxas, and you're not okay with what's going on right now, then _tell_ him that. Don't come complaining to me, because I could care less."_

_ "Yeah, like that's going to end well." Recently, Axel noticed, Ellie had been acting weird, irritable, and like a bitch. Normally she would just listen to Axel's rants without much addition, but in the past week, she'd yelled at him twice for no reason, and when he asked her the legitimate question of whether she was knocked up, he'd gotten slapped in the face. "I don't think Roxas will accept that stand-"_

_ "Just do it!"_

_ "And if I refuse?"_

_ "Do you like being a man?"_

_ Axel was confused for a moment, wondering what she meant, then it hit him. He gulped._

_ "Yes."_

_ "The get out of my office, take Roxas on a drive, and deal with this whole thing!"_

_ He nodded, then exited the office. This was the only thing he could do to fix everything that had happened, and maybe get Roxas to agree to be more than friends... _

_ He hoped it worked._

* * *

It was snowing again. Axel could feel the cold flakes fall against his skin, and he wanted to groan. But it was too painful to even do that small action. His head was throbbing, and his mind was still processing what had happened.

He'd gotten into a fight with his father.

And won.

A sense of accomplishment and closure rushed through Axel. All he wanted to do now was cry.

Another painful action.

So instead he just thought about his dreams, the ones that had haunted him for the past three weeks, and how much all of those events had changed him. Especially the last one. If Ellie had never said that to him, he and Roxas wouldn't have been in the car that day, and wouldn't have gotten in a car crash, which meant they never would have started going out.

Axel most likely would still be wallowing in self pity, rather than having experienced the best ten months of his life.

But now, he mused, it's all gone.

He was convinced that death awaited him.

Then there was a warm hand brushing against Axel's cheek, flicking strands of hair away from his eyes, which had just opened. He glanced up, ignoring the pain, and saw the one person he'd been longing to be with since the day he left.

The blue eyes were dull, sad, irritated, angry, and the skin surrounding them was extremely pale. Axel felt his heart clench when he realized it had been his fault.

Roxas looked like this because of him.

But still, he was happy to see the boy at least one more time before it was time for him to go.

He smiled, and closed his eyes again.


	44. Sometimes life just

**3  
**

**Full Chapter Title: Sometimes life just throws you a bucket of water you have to swim around**

* * *

Vincent helped me get Axel back to Radiant Garden.

I'd been sitting there, next to him, trying to wake him up when the man arrived, like a shadow coming out of nowhere. Somewhat creepy, but at the same time cool. I started to see why Mom had so much respect for him. The first thing I did when I saw Vincent, though, was to ask him why he was there, and how he knew to find me. He didn't reply at first, gesturing to the unconscious Axel.

He was still breathing, so I knew that he was alive, but the snow started falling faster, threatening the two of us. So I asked Vincent if he could help me get Axel back to my apartment. Still not talking, he picked up my boyfriend and carried him to a car I'd never seen before.

Apparently, Vincent Valentine knows how to drive.

And owns a car.

I never would have guessed that to be the case.

I sat in the back with Axel, his head resting on my lap, and I saw that he had many wounds. There was a voice in the back of my head telling me to check them, make sure he was okay, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. I was scared that he was badly injured again, so I figured it would be best to take him to a hospital.

But Vincent wouldn't take me there.

Instead he drove me and the unconscious Axel back to my apartment, which I guess is what I'd asked of him in the first place, then carried him into my room. Nice guy.

I asked him again how he found me, and this time, he answered.

"Tifa told Zack, Zack told me. I went to find you."

Of course, that was all he said to me. Then he left. Placed Axel on my bed and left without saying goodbye. It was one of the weirdest things I'd ever experienced. Weirdest, and most annoying thing that didn't have to do with Axel.

"Man, he's a weirdo," I muttered with a sigh. Turning back to Axel, I wondered what I should do. He was still passed out on my bed, blood trickling down his cheek, and bruises forming on his face. If he didn't look so damn shitty and beat up, I would think he was just tired after a long day at work. He would do that sometimes, after he took me home from the office. Just, collapse on either the couch or my bed and sleep. It was kinda sweet. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. It was a rare occurrence for me to see him like that. He almost always fell asleep long after I did, and woke up before I ever could.

The whole ordeal angered me sometimes.

So to just see him sleep on the couch like that...

I really loved it.

The sight of the blood on his cheek was starting to get to me, and I moved away from the bed and to the bathroom, where my mother made me keep a first aid kit. At first I thought she was just being paranoid and annoying, but after this incident, I thanked her for making me.

I was smiling to myself when I entered the room again, thinking about how it was _my _ turn to help Axel, even though I was extremely pissed at him. However, when I glanced at the bed, I noticed that Axel wasn't in the position I'd left him in. Instead of sleeping, he was sitting up, rubbing the back of his head, a dazed look on his face. I tried to stay silent as I crossed the room, holding the kit in my hands, looking at the floor.

It was the first time I'd seen Axel in some kind of conscious form. And no, I don't count when I first found him laying on the street and he smiled at me.

He seemed to only notice me when I got close enough to the bed that he could reach out and touch me. His eyes traveled over to me; those beautiful sea-green eyes that were always following me. Ever since that first day in the elevator.

Not really wanting to talk, I held out the first aid kid, like a peace offering, silently telling him that I needed to make sure he was okay before any speaking was to take place. I was looking away when I did this, so I didn't know what Axel's reaction was, until he grabbed my wrist tentatively, and pulled me forward a little bit. Not enough to fall onto the bed or anything, just enough to let me know I could do what I needed to.

I crawled onto the bed and plopped down between his legs, placing the box in front of me, then I glanced up at him. Blushing at his intense stare, I reached up and began to unbutton his shirt. All I wanted to do was see how much he was beat up under the shirt (which I was shocked to see actually was a dress shirt... you'd think after three weeks on the streets he would wear something less... nice looking) but that didn't stop me from blushing madly at all the things this could imply. There was a feeling in my gut that if Axel wasn't all beat up right now, I would probably tackle him to the bed.

I tried very hard to ignore that feeling.

Finally, I managed to finish undoing the buttons on his shirt, and he slipped it off, flinching for some reason. That reason became apparent soon enough though, when I saw all the deep purple bruises forming all over Axel's torso. They were spread out all around his skin, some clumping together, others in a lone place, but they all still made Axel look as though he were some kind of bruised fruit.

Horrible, _horrible_ comparison, but extremely true.

Other than the bruises, there were a few cuts and scraps along his arms and lower stomach, probably from when his shirt was pulled up as he fell.

So I opened the box and pulled out antiseptic and gauze. It was then I realized I never learned how to clean a wound. All of this was being done by guessing.

I hoped Axel wouldn't mind.

The minute the liquid touched his skin, Axel flinched, eyes closing tightly, and I could see his jaw clench. He wanted to cry out, but I knew there was no way he would. Axel always liked to be strong around me, like he couldn't let me know when he was suffering. Briefly, I wondered if he knew how much it hurt me when he did that.

But I didn't say anything as I continued to clean the wounds, bandaging the really bad ones, and being sure to get his back as well. From the looks of it, he'd been thrown against a wall. It was the only explanation I could think of for him to have a large cut on his back, and yet the shirt wasn't ripped at all. Either that, or he changed his shirt before he passed out, which was extremely doubtful.

Finally, his face. The cut was obviously from a knife, and though it wasn't bleeding anymore, I felt faint from just looking at it.

I wet another cloth and pressed it against Axel's face, trying very hard not to let my fingers come into contact with his skin. My goal was to not have any physical contact with the man for as long as possible, get back at him a little for running off on me. However, I couldn't keep doing that forever.

As soon as my hand pulled away from Axel's face, and I grimaced at the blood on the cloth, my wrist was grabbed again. I flushed, dropping the cloth, and looked away as Axel pulled my hand towards his face. I could feel his lips press against the center of my hand, which sent electric shocks up my arm. It was like he was apologizing to me.

Then he was kissing me, pushing his lips against mine eagerly as his arm wrapped around my waist. I allowed myself to be pulled into a hug as I closed my eyes, thoroughly enjoying the fact that he was there again. It was like a dream come true.

Axel was back.

After what I thought was too soon, Axel pulled away. He removed his arms from my back and stared down at me, breathing heavily, face flushed from the intensity. I was so happy. My hand reached up to his cheek on it's own, disobeying my direct order not to move, and I traced the cut. Axel's eyes slid closed and he smiled, turning his head so my entire hand was touching his skin.

"This is real," I heard him mutter. I smiled, glad to hear his voice again. "This is actually real." At this, I pulled away, trying to hide the embarrassed look on my face. Axel had missed me. He actually missed me.

There was nothing I could say, or, that's what I thought.

Then I saw Axel smirk, and pat my head.

"Hey Roxas, I'm home."

I don't know what it was about this sentence that set me off, but it did. I shoved Axel away from me and slid off the bed, towering over the red-head.

"You're home? You're _home_? That's all you have to say to me you fucking bastard? I've been sitting here, worrying my ass off that you were going to die, or that you didn't like me anymore, and the only way you could end it was to go off and be a complete jack-ass! How about apologizing to me for all the shit you put me through? Huh? Whatever happened to a good old, 'I'm sorry I ran off and left you that horrible note that caused nightmares and horrible thoughts. I won't ever do it again. I'm sorry'? Did you even think of apologizing? I bet not! You were probably just going to act like you didn't do anything wrong, and that I would just forgive you for no reason. That's why you kissed me, isn't it? You wanted to distract me from the real issue here!"

"Roxas..." Axel's voice sounded so pathetic. It just angered me more.

"Shut the fuck up and listen to me! Do know how many times I called you while you were gone? How many times Ellie called? Did you even listen to our messages or were you too busy searching for your father that you completely ignored everything I said to you? And what about when you did find your dad? Did you feel the 'closure' that you wanted? Did you get back at him for making you live on the streets, or not giving you food? Did you? _Did you_?"

"Please, let me talk-"

"I told you to shut up, Axel! I am _not_ done! I spent almost three weeks sitting around wondering if I would ever see you again. I was so depressed, my dad wouldn't let me go to work. He sent me home and told me that if I came onto the office grounds, he would call security on me. Happened to Ellie too. Do you know how I found out where you were? Ellie told me, after spending an entire night crying her eyes out. When she came to see me the next day, her eyes were so red I thought she was sick or had allergies! Of course, the second notion is stupid as it's the end of November, and there's a foot of snow on the ground, but that's not the point! I couldn't believe that Ellie could cry like that, but apparently she can. And don't get me started on how sad Sora was acting. He seemed so upset that you just took off and didn't tell him, because he's your friend and he wants to _know what the fuck is going on in your life_, just like me, and Ellie, and Riku, and Kairi..." I took a deep breath.

"Every single one of us was so fucking worried about you, Axel. It's not even funny how different the work atmosphere became at the office after you left. No one wanted to talk, or hang out, Ellie pretty much escaped into her shell, Riku and Sora stopped talking to each other again, and Kairi seemed like she was going to cry every fucking day! Do you even understand how important you are to all of us?" I was trying to hold back the tears, but after saying that, I couldn't. I couldn't stop them as the flowed out of my eyes and down my face. Through the blur, I could see Axel move so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. His arms moved around my back and pulled me towards him, and I could feel his face press against my chest. Immediately, my hands moved to his back, and I bowed my head.

"You're insane, loud, rude, sarcastic, bitchy, perverted, an ass, a bastard, and most of all, a freak of nature alien! But I love you! I love you so much!" My knees gave way and I slid down, hitting the ground. I was still holding on to Axel's arms, though not very well, and he kissed the top of my head. "I can't help but love you, Axel. I can't... I can't help it. I can't help it..." I choked on my words, unable to continue. I wanted to, though. I wanted to tell Axel how much he meant to me, and that I never wanted to be apart from him again. But the sobs wouldn't stop coming, and soon, I heard Axel slide off the bed and he hugged me tightly, burying my face in his chest.

"I'm sorry Roxas," he whispered. "I love you too. You have no idea how much I love you."

What about him is so comforting? How does he know exactly what to say to me?

Why is it him that can make me feel so complete inside?

I don't know how long we stayed in that position: me crying into his chest, him whispering to me words of love and comfort, but as far as I was concerned, it didn't last long enough. Even when I'd stopped crying, and Axel helped me to my feet, and we sat on my bed, I wanted to be with him. I wanted to be close to him.

I wanted him to be mine.

Only mine.

"Axel," I muttered when we were both sitting.

"Yeah?"

"Leave me again, and I won't go out looking for you. I won't be waiting for you to come home. I will leave."

I wanted him to be mine, but I couldn't live if he left. I just couldn't.

Somehow, over the course of these crazy months being his boyfriend, and the year and a half since I'd met him, Axel had become my life. Everything about him was a part of me now, whether it be his emotions, his body, his past...

"I won't leave you again. I don't have a reason to." I got on my knees and pushed Axel down, allowing myself to kiss him, and finally, _finally_, I could understand those feelings I saw on New Years between Ellie and Riku. The feelings I saw between my parents.

_Finally._

* * *

**Sorry, didn't want to say much at the beginning... I didn't have a good day and the only reason I'm writing down here is to say that the chapter title and one of Roxas' lines are courtesy of Withnospaces and she'll get mad at me if I don't say that though I don't know how she'll know because she doesn't read the story on here...**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I can't believe I'm almost done with this story, please review, and I'll see you next week (maybe...)**

**~Sunechirei  
**


	45. I'm not useless

**2**

**So... After my little mental break down last Friday, I was taken off meds and put on a suicide watch... that was fun -_- Which is why I really haven't been on here in a long time. I mean, I haven't really read any fanfiction in quite a while, which is rare for me. Well, I guess that I have about six hours of homework a night helps as well, but...**

**Anyway, I'm a little sad right now... all of my old reviewers stopped reviewing :( I miss you guys... I liked hearing what everyone was thinking during those time... but oh well. Everyone has their own lives and what not, so...**

**Yeah, that's all I'm gonna say for this chapter, I think. I'm a little miffed at people who hate Kairi with a burning passion and call her a whiny, weak, bitchy whore, because honestly, I've never heard her whine, she isn't a bitch, she only loves Sora, and do all females really have to be strong? Okay, so most of the people who read this are female, right? Can YOU fight amazingly well and not need to depend on other people for help? I know I can't. There's nothing wrong with a female character who can't fight. *sigh* But yeah. I've had a few issues with the way female characters are portrayed and accepted in our society today...**

**But oh well. Enjoy, review, sorry if I seem a little distant, I know this is early (I'm going to a Japanese culture fest this weekend so this is the last time I have internet until Sunday night) and I'll see you next week in my final A/N.**

**Love you all :)**

**~Sunechirei  
**

**Full Chapter Title: I'm not useless. I can be used as a bad example**

* * *

I guess you could say I was happy to be with Axel again. Extremely happy that he was laying on the bed next to me, arms holding me tight to his body. But, that would be a lie. Kinda. I was happy he was there, but at the same time, annoyed and scared.

He left for three weeks and then just came back like nothing had happened, hoping to get back to his life like nothing was wrong. Yeah, like I was going to let that happen. I didn't really want to say anything the evening before, as he'd just come back and still seemed to be in pain, plus I'd already yelled at him for quite a while.

I thought he deserved a break for a little while.

But I knew one thing for sure; as soon as Axel woke up, I was going to scold him. Not yell, this time, but just scold, then send him off to Ellie or something.

Then again, if I did that, I wouldn't have a boyfriend anymore, so it probably wasn't a good idea to do that. Maybe I wouldn't tell anyone that we were back, and the two of us could just hide out in my apartment for the rest of our lives. Except for the fact that Riku knew every single damn way to get in this place, we would be perfectly safe.

…. You know, sometimes I wonder if I have any brains or not.

"Wow, you woke up before I did," Axel said suddenly, squeezing me tighter. "That's not something you see every day." I flushed, glad he couldn't hear my thoughts. Then he would know what I was planning to say to him, and he would just counter it, or do something perverted so I couldn't speak.

Yeah, that sounds like something he would do.

Definitely.

"Well, you did just get your ass kicked. I'm surprised you're awake at all right now," I replied, trying to pull away from him because I wanted to look at him, but he wouldn't let me go. "Oi, I would like to talk to you face to face," I mumbled, still struggling against his grip. "Will you please let me do that."

"Nope."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because if I see your face, I'm not going to want to talk." I could just imagine him grinning at this. "The only thing I would be able to think about is kissing you."

Of course. You know, you'd think he would have gotten enough of that the night before... Then again, there'd been a three week gap between our sleeping together...

I wondered how long it would take for him to be satisfied again.

Maybe three more weeks? Or longer?

"Well," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, "I wouldn't _mind_ being kissed. You know? It does feel good, after all." I don't think that was the right thing to say. I mean, sure, it was the truth, but immediately afterward, Axel let me go and looked down, smirking. I gulped, realizing I'd pretty much just sealed my doom.

Oh doom. Why do you love to torture me so?

A warm hand cupped my chin and pulled it up slightly, not close enough to close the distance, but I could feel his warm breath tickling my mouth and he whispered to me, "I thought I was the pervert." Then he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine, gently at first. When I wrapped my arms around his neck, however, he shifted, pushing himself off the bed so I was pressed against the bed below him, and he began to kiss me harder. I felt shivers run up my spine when his tongue pressed into my mouth, and moaned quietly.

Axel smirked against my lips, and suddenly, I could feel his hand moving slowly down my bare chest, to my stomach, then teasing at the top of my pajama pants. Those hands were so warm... it was like a heating pad was resting against my abdomen, heating my entire body.

My thoughts were lost at this point. I couldn't remember what I wanted to lecture him about, or that he'd been missing, or that I was mad at him slightly, or that the two of us really shouldn't be doing this right then, as it was about four in the morning. We'd only fallen asleep a few hours before, or, at least I had. It was impossible to know when Axel fell asleep.

Suddenly, he wasn't kissing me anymore, and his entire body disappeared from atop me. I opened my eyes and blinked, confused. Axel was sitting next to me, head resting between his knees, like he was in pain or something. Immediately, I sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Axel? Are you okay?" I managed to ask as I caught my breath. "Does your head hurt? Or your cheek? I tried to clean it, but I don't know anything about being a doctor, and-"

"Roxas, you fret a lot, you know that right?" The amused glint in Axel's eyes when he glanced up at me was slightly frustrating, but also sent a warm feeling from my stomach through my whole torso. I swallowed, trying to forget the fact that I was really turned on at the moment.

"I do not," I protested, my eyes turned downward. "You just got really hurt, and I know that you were slammed against a wall, so you obviously hit your head, and if you have a concussion and we don't do anything about it you'll end up in the hospital, like Ellie. I don't know what I would do if that happened." Probably die. Or panic. Or die. Or become depressed. Or die. Or go into denial and think Axel was just sleeping. Or die.

…. Axel probably should never hear any of those possibilities.

"I don't have a concussion, Roxas," Axel said reassuringly. He smiled at me. "I'm okay, I just feel like... I don't know like this isn't real. It can't be real. Every time I look over at you, feel your body, kiss you, and I can't help but think I've died and gone to heaven."

I couldn't help but let out a small oh, and then the realization of what he just said hit. He thought he was dead. The son of a bitch thought I was some kind of hallucination or something!

Well, there goes the sweetness of what he said.

Finally, I sighed. "Wait a moment, your image of heaven is me, half naked, in my bed?"

I think Axel was pondering about whether or not to tell me the truth at first, but finally, he laughed. "Yup! Well, not necessarily here," he said, "just anywhere with you. We don't have to be doing anything sexual. Just being around you is heaven enough for me."

I blushed.

A really, really deep red.

If only Axel's sentence hadn't been so pathetically sweet...

"So," I mumbled, turning my head away so he wouldn't see the blush, "you think you're dead?"

"Hm... not really," Axel mused. "I mean, I keep thinking that I must be, as this has been way too perfect to be real life, but I also know there's no way I'm going to be let into heaven, seeing as I would have died beating up my dad, and I'm gay, so..." He chuckled.

"Well, we don't have to think about that right now. You're not dead, and you're not going to die on me anytime soon. Got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"You love your sarcasm don't you."

"Yes. Yes I do." Almost as if he decided like I meant something else by that, I was pushed down. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

"So..."

"So?"

"What do you want to talk about now?"

"I dunno. What do _you_ want to talk about?"

"... How can you make such a simple sentence sound so damn suggestive?"

"That's not me. That's you."

"Yeah, sure it is."

"Aw, too afraid to admit that you're somewhat perverted?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean, no! I mean... What?"

Axel started laughing after my confused exclamation. The two of us were sitting in my living room, eating pizza that I'd gotten delivered a few minutes before and talking about random shit. At first the conversations had come easily, because most of the past two days we'd spent not talking, just being near each other.

But we both figured it was time for me to get all the questions I had out. So I asked him a lot of things:

What happened to his mom.

His father's name.

How he survived for those three weeks.

What he thought about.

If he even bothered to listen to my voice messages.

It was nice to hear his answers to these, but even more than that, it was nice to just talk to him. Talk and get to know more about him.

"Look, Roxie," Axel gasped, shaking his head, "I know you think _I'm_ nothing but a weird ass pervert, but I'm really not. I don't think about sex all the time."

"Yeah, sure you don't."

"I don't."

Axel looked like he was about to say more, when suddenly he froze. I glanced over at him, wondering what was going on, until I saw him reach into his pocket and pull out his cell phone. I was surprised to see it. I'd been convinced it'd gotten lost in Hallow Bastion, or he'd let it get broken while he was there. Not only that, but I wasn't expecting him to have it on him. I mean, who could want to call him? As far as I knew, Ellie gave up a while ago, Riku could care less, Sora said it wasn't worth leaving a ton of messages, and Kairi told me she was only going to call once to see if he would answer.

The only other person I could think of would be me, who was with him.

Well, it could have been one of his dads, but when I talked to them, they didn't seem worried at all. In fact, Saïx told me he was surprised it took Axel this long to leave, and that there was no point in bugging him. He would come home when he was ready to.

Interesting man, Saïx. Xemnas kinda scares the crap out of me, but he's okay...

"Who?" I asked, climbing over the couch to where Axel was sitting.

Low and behold, the phone said Ellie. And here I thought she'd given up.

"Hello?" I jumped, not having realized Axel answered the phone, and I nearly wanted to slap him. Didn't he know that Ellie would figure out he was back, then he would have to face the outside world again, and then I would no longer have him to myself?

Hey, don't judge me! I have every right to be selfish once in a while.

The yelling from the other end of the phone was so loud, I could hear it.

Man, Ellie has a set of lungs to her...

_"Dammit Axel! What the hell are you doing picking up the phone right now? I've been trying to contact you for three weeks, and _now_ you decide to answer? What the hell is going on? Are you going to die soon? Did you find your dad? What the hell?"_

I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. Mainly, I was laughing because she was voicing all the questions I'd had when I saw Axel lying, beat up, on the streets. I didn't want her to hear me, though. That would just give away that Axel was back.

"Um... I'm sorry?" Axel laughed nervously, cringing from all the yelling that had happened. He shrugged at me then put the phone on speaker, probably so I could hear what was going on as well.

_"You're sorry? That's all you have to say to me?"_ There was rustling in the background for a moment, then Ellie was back on, her voice sounding higher than usual. _"That's it. Where are you? I'm coming to get you!"_

"Whoa! Is that really necessary?"

_"Yes. It is. Where. Are. You?"_

Axel didn't seem to know what to do. His wide pathetic eyes moved over to me, pleading for help of some sort. It was probably the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. Axel always knew what to do in situations such as this. He never asked anyone for help.

Maybe, he already knew what he should do, and he was asking for my permission to tell Ellie he was with me.

Honestly, I didn't want her to know, and Axel knew that. I'd already expressed to him how I just wanted him to myself for a little while, and that I didn't want anyone else to know he was back. He had laughed at my selfish request, but obliged to it. When I asked him why he did, and why he was so okay with me being possessive, his answer was simple.

_"I want you all to myself too, Roxas."_

It amazes me how much our relationship has changed since the first time I met him.

_"Axel? Tell me right now, or I swear I'm going to-"_

"He's with me."

* * *

I regretted saying those words the moment they came out of my mouth. I shouldn't have said anything. I should have shrugged at Axel and let him make up some lie about where he was, or let him tell the truth, because I had a feeling Ellie was going to murder me.

No, not just murder me. She was going to castrate me, cut my head off, then hang it like a warning sign in front of her office.

Keeping her out of the "Axel's back," loop probably wasn't the best thing I ever could have done. I mean, sure, it was nice, but the fact that he'd been with me for three days and she didn't know meant I'd kept a secret from her. You don't keep secrets from Ellie.

"I'm not going to let her kill you," I heard Axel say from the couch next to me.

"Yeah, I know. Still, she sounded really mad and-" The extremely loud banging open of my front door interrupted me, and I froze, paling. "Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Hide me!"

I was not happy with Axel's laugh.

"Don't even bother trying to hide, Roxas," Ellie said suddenly, appearing in my living room. "Sure, I'm pissed at you, but it's Axel who's going to die." Yeah, that was just as bad. Worse, even.

"Now, now, Ellie, there's no need to threaten my life," Axel said quietly. He sounded slightly like he was scared, but the amused look on his face, and the evil glint in those eyes made him just look cocky and entertained.

This just irritated Ellie more, though. She stomped forward and grabbed Axel by the collar. I immediately jumped off the chair I was in and was about to help him get her off, because she looked really pissed. Axel, however, held up a hand, still grinning, and I had to stop. He would only get mad at me if I tried to stop him.

"You and Roxas here have been hanging out for, how long? A week?"

"Three days."

"Oh? Three days?" Ellie laughed hysterically and let Axel go. "You guys are such bastards you know that? You guys come back and just sit around here, probably fucking each other, and you don't even let anyone know that you're okay? Roxas, I know for a fact that your parents have been worried about you, especially your dad, because he had no fucking idea where you were."

I felt a rush of guilt. I hadn't even thought about my parents.

"And you, Axel." There was an awkward pause before Ellie started crying, burying her face in her hands. "I don't even know what to say about you! Everything you've done recently has been because you're a selfish jack-ass!"

When I left Radiant Garden ten days ago, Ellie had been upset. It had been completely obvious she was in no way happy. But now, seeing her, standing in the middle of my living room, crying, yelling at Axel, there was no way I could say that her sadness from before was actually her being upset. It was kinda nerve racking.

"Ellie, calm down," Axel said, standing up as well. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. This sent a wave of jealousy through me, making my stomach tingle and eyes narrow. I don't know why I felt like that, though...

"Why the hell should I calm down, huh?"

"Because I'm back now, and I'm safe, and everything's back to normal."

…. Okay, that sentence pissed _me_ off.

Ellie, on the other hand, just laughed. Crying and laughing at the same time. At first I thought she was glad to hear that from Axel, but there was something else there. Something that came out clearly when she started speaking in the dark, deep, icy voice.

"Axel Lea, you are a fucking son of a bitch, you know that, right? A fucking son of a bitch. You and Roxas so deserve each other." I jerked around to face her.

"Wait! What did I do?"

"Figure out your problems on your own, Strife."

"But-"

"The two of you are just perfect for each other," Ellie continued, voice rising in both volume and pitch with every second. "You're both selfish asses! No one else will ever be able to deal with you two idiots! You should just move in together!"

I honestly don't know where the moving in part came from, but I didn't have time to ask. Ellie huffed and stormed out of the room, then out of my apartment, slamming the door behind her. Both Axel and I stood there in stunned silence, glancing at each other, then at the place Ellie disappeared, then back at each other. It was one of the funniest awkward silences I'd ever been a part of, and let me tell you, there had been some funny ones.

Normally I hate them, but Axel has this weird way of making them so awkward I have to laugh.

This time, Ellie did that for us.

Finally, we started laughing. I was cracking up so much that my stomach started hurting and I had to sit down. I don't remember the last time I'd been so giddy and just all out laughed my ass off.

After a time, we were able to calm down, breathing heavily, still letting out bursts of laughter occasionally.

"She's right, you know," Axel eventually said, smiling over at me. I rolled my eyes.

"We're not asses, Axel. Jerks, maybe, and you're borderline bastard, but not asses."

"No," he laughed, "I was talking about the other thing she said." Noticing my confusion, Axel rolled his eyes. "About us moving in together. I think we should."


	46. When in doubt

**1**

**Last AN peoples! Not the last chapter. Almost, but not quite. Next chapter is the last chapter.**

**But, I decided that I wanted to have no AN on the last chapter because... well, I don't know.**

**Anyway, thank you all for sticking with me this past year! This story has been my baby, and in two days, on November 18th, it'll have been exactly a year since I started working on this story. Exactly. To the day XD That's pretty exciting. I can't believe I'm almost done with this!**

**Thanks again, everyone, for reading this story, making the journey of writing it so damn enjoyable. I love all my reviewers, even the ones who only reviewed once, or said like, nothing. You guys are the ones who made it so I was able to get through with this long epic that I call my baby. I don't even know if any of my stories are going to be able to live up to this one anymore... It's just so awesome to me :)**

**If you have any questions, fear not, I will answer them. You can PM me if you want to talk about anything, ask questions and so forth. Something About the Rain is going to be 20 chapters long, so you still have more for this story, but it's not about Roxas and Axel; it's about Riku, Ellie, Sora, Kairi, Cloud, and Tifa. Some little things about the two main characters, but it's not about them. It's about how different each character's lives are, and how they're affected by the things in their pasts.**

**But yeah...**

**Thanks, once more! I'm sad this is going to end next week, but also relieved. I may or may not have a new fanfic up after a while. I don't know yet.**

**Love you all! Read, enjoy, review, and I hope you've enjoyed Is there an Elephant in the Room? (Even though there's still one more chapter XP)**

**~Sunechirei**

**Full Chapter Title: When in doubt...**

* * *

Axel's introduction back into work was... well... interesting. It seems Ellie didn't tell anyone that he was back after she stormed off, even though it was another two days before we actually decided it was time to leave the apartment.

The first thing I did after Axel told me we were going to the office was call my mom. I figured that I should do that, as it'd been almost two weeks since I'd talked to her, and in my experience, mothers like to be called at least once a day. She sounded surprised to hear from me, of course, but also happy. Two emotions I'd been expecting out of her.

Naturally, after I'd talked to Mom, she made me call Dad.

His reaction was... um... well, it certainly fit his personality. Basically, he told me that he was disappointed I'd taken off without warning, and I was not going to get paid for my absence. Again, I couldn't help but wonder how the hell he became such a successful businessman. Introverts and politics don't usually mix when it comes to... well, anything, actually. The conversation became absolutely wonderful, though, when I told him Axel and I were going to come to work.

Actually, wonderful isn't the word I would really use... Or would I? I don't know if him sighing heavily and telling me that as long as I don't keep people from working, then it would be fine would be considered "wonderful."

Anyway, other people's reactions.

Pretty much what you'd expect; Ellie ignoring us indefinitely, Kairi nearly crying and hugging both of us, Sora having a confused look on his face and saying a disjointed 'welcome back,' and Riku, who glared at Axel, nodded at me, then went off to go find Ellie.

That was just what happened at first, though. After the initial showing everyone we were back, Axel told me that we didn't have any actual work to do today, as Cloud hadn't been expecting us, so he kidnapped me and took me to his apartment. I didn't really want to go there, but when you're afraid to drive and your boyfriend locks you in his car, you really have no choice but to go with him wherever he wants to go.

Let me tell you something: Sora is a fucking messy person.

I remember when I was staying with Axel and Sora, before I got my own place, and while I was hating my parents, and the apartment had been rather clean. At first I thought that it was just the way both Sora and Axel were, which was weird of me to think. Sora was a complete and total spazz; there was no way he could be neat or have any ounce of cleaning abilities.

Than again, he had been known to surprise me...

Like what happened that day. The trip to Axel's apartment taught me something I'd never known about him before.

Axel, is a neat freak.

You wouldn't guess, right? I definitely couldn't, based on his attitude and flirtatious ways, but when I saw how disorganized and messy Sora was, leaving clothes, dishes, garbage, and other things that shall go unnamed around, it became obvious that Axel was usually the one who cleaned everything in the house.

Then other things occurred to me, like how his office was always so organized, or how when he'd visit me, my apartment/office usually got mysteriously cleaner.

It was weird that I'd never noticed these things before.

It made me think of things I didn't want to, though.

Like Axel wanting to move in with me.

He didn't mention it again after that day with Ellie, but I know he was still thinking about it. He would drop subtle hints about it, mentioning things about how much easier certain things would be if we didn't live in separate places, like keeping secrets and what not.

It was really irritating me. First of all, I didn't know if I wanted to live with him or not. Sure, I loved him, and I didn't want anyone else to have him, but a part of me had doubts about what it meant. I don't really know what part, though, which was the reason I was irritated.

Every bone in my body was telling me to tell him to pack up all his shit and move in with me, except for one. And that one was being fucking annoying and whiny, telling me that this might not last very long, or I would stop loving him if we were always around each other blah, blah, blah.

"You okay?" My stomach fluttered at the sound of Axel's voice. He was standing in the middle of his kitchen, cleaning, staring at me with wide green eyes. It was really funny to see him standing there, like a housewife, or something.

It so did not fit his image.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I snickered. "Just thinking."

"I know, that's why I asked if you were okay. I mean, Roxas thinking? Oh man." I nearly left after that statement. Then I remembered I had no way to leave.

"At least I'm not the one going around cleaning everything I can get my hands on," I teased. A part of me doubted Axel even realized what he had started doing. It was probably just habitual for him to start cleaning.

When he realized what I was talking about, he immediately avoided all eye contact with me, and muttered, "Shut up." I couldn't stop laughing.

Or, I thought I wouldn't be able to stop laughing.

Then Axel said something else.

"You know," he told me, crossing his arms, "if I moved in with you, I wouldn't have to clean up this place."

That shut me up immediately, and I blushed.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

So, you know how I said Axel's a neat freak? Well, I got to see just how much of one he actually was while the two of us were waiting for the rest of the people to get off work.

He cleaned the entire apartment.

By himself.

I tried to help him, but he wouldn't let me, saying that it was his job, not mine, and I should just sit on the couch and relax. Well, once the couch could be seen again. Sora was going to have a heart attack when he saw the state of his living space. I was looking forward to that, but as soon as Axel was done, he told me that we were leaving.

Annoying...

"Why?" I asked as he dragged me out of the apartment and towards his car. "I thought we were going to be meeting up with everyone here. That's what Kairi said, right?" Axel didn't answer me. Instead, he looked down at his feet, like he was sad about something, though I knew there was a smirk on his face.

There was something he had to keep hidden from me.

Another annoying thing.

What is with these friends of mine and keeping me in the dark? I mean, seriously? Was it really worth seeing my surprised expression? I only ask that because when I questioned Axel and Riku about why the hell they never told me anything, I was told this.

_"You're really entertaining when you're shocked."_

One problem that I've run into, hanging out with people who are at least six years older than I am; they love to use me as an entertainment source. All of them. Well, maybe not Kairi, so much, but she and I didn't really have that many conversations in the first place. She was really only there because she's Sora's girlfriend and I'm friends with Sora. Ellie too. Only really talked to her because she's my fucking lawyer, and my boyfriend's bestfriend/cousin.

If it weren't for those things, I probably would never have a conversation with either of them.

It makes me sound really horrible.

Oh well.

* * *

_You know, now that I think about it, I never did figure out what Axel was hiding from me. I also didn't get to see anyone else for the rest of that day. The week and a half that followed? Yeah._

_ The next thing I knew, it was almost Christmas. _

_ And things had gone completely back to normal. _

_ How the hell does that work?_

_ I barely even remember the days that followed Axel and mine "reintroduction" to work. All I know is that they were crazy, mind fucking days that usually left me completely exhausted and wanting to curl up in a ball and sleep. Never to wake again. _

_ But, after those days, something interesting happened. _

_ December 21, 2011. Pretty much everything in my life changed after that day. Again. And it all started out when Axel asked me once more about us moving in together._

* * *

"Come on, Roxas! Just say that I can move in! I know you want to live with me. It's kinda obvious with the way you're always wanting me to spend the night," Axel said, trapping me to the wall of my office. It was really irritating me how pushy he was becoming with this whole ordeal. Yes, I did want to live with him. I wanted more than that, actually, but that small part of my brain that was telling me this was too much never left.

It was still there, whining about how I needed to focus on other things in my life, not just Axel. Which was stupid. The only other thing in my life was work, and guess who was always there; that's right, Axel.

He'd basically become my life.

"Look, Axel, I still don't know if it's a good idea," was the only thing I could think to say. Axel's face being only inches from mine tends to be rather distracting. Especially when he has your hands pinned to the wall next to your head and his knee between your legs.

"Why not?" His voice dropped to a low whisper. "Surely everything would be better that way." He obviously wasn't going to let me reply to this, as he started moving closer to me, preparing for a kiss, but I didn't want to let him get his way.

As quickly as I could, I turned my head away, making sure he didn't obtain what he wanted. He let out a frustrated growl, and let go of one of my hands so he could turn my head back to face him.

Big mistake.

As soon as it was free, my hand came down and covered Axel's mouth, and I glared at him. "I need to think about it, Axel. Give me a break. We've only been going out for ten months. Almost eleven. That's nothing compared to Ellie and Riku, who've been going out for what, five years? Or Kairi and Sora who've been in love with each other since they were kids. None of them are living together."

"So!" Axel snapped after he'd pulled away from me, letting go of my other hand as well. "We're completely different people than they are. What's going on in their lives should have nothing to do with ours!"

"Besides the fact that we have to talk to them ever single day for the rest of our lives?" It was rather entertaining to see Axel's face darken with rage. Normally, it would be scary, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Maybe do something sexual, but that wasn't that big of a deal.

"You're impossible," he growled. I could only laugh.

"No, I'm Roxas. Nice to meet you."

"Stop being a smart alec."

"What's wrong? Can't deal with me screwing with you?"

Before Axel could grab at me again I slipped away from where I was standing and headed to the door so he couldn't keep me in the room. I must say, I've gotten good at avoiding Axel's advances. Once you spent a ton of time with him, he kinda became predictable.

Kinda.

There were still times when he did something I totally wasn't expecting, and I ended up feeling stupid, confused, annoyed, and many other emotions that I usually didn't care about at those moments. I just cared that Axel was being a jerk, or... well... I guess he wasn't really ever being _mean_ to me, but it seemed like it sometimes.

Sometimes...

"I do have a problem with you screwing with me," Axel eventually replied, sounding irritated. "But I can't do anything about it. You're too stubborn." I laughed, opening the door, but Axel's voice continuing kept me from leaving. "I want an answer, Roxas. By Christmas day. Got it memorized?"

I could only nod before leaving my office.

Then I freaked out.

I had four days to figure out how to convince the annoying part of me to let Axel move in, or things were going to get rocky in our relationship. Not that they weren't already rocky, but that's not the point.

There was only one thing I could do.

Talk to my friends.

This was gonna be extremely interesting.

I didn't really know who I should ask, though. Or what I should ask. What do you ask a person when you want to know how to make your brain behave? I supposed I could phrase the question like that, but it would be really weird if I did. Chances are, Sora would laugh his ass off at me, saying I was pathetic and should be able to control my own mind. Than again, he'd been really stressed recently. It was possible he would care less.

So I decided to go talk to him first, trying to figure out how I would word my question, but it wasn't him I ended up talking to. The first person I ran into as I headed down the stairs to the lobby, where I assumed Sora was, happened to be Riku.

Turns out he'd been looking for me.

"Hey Roxie," he called, waving at me with a strange grin on his face. I groaned, but stopped moving, turning to look at him. I was actually surprised to see him in the office still, as it was pretty late, and close to Christmas. Last year, Riku, Sora, and Kairi had taken off a week before Christmas to go home and spend time with their families.

This year, however, none of them even talked about leaving. When I asked Sora and Riku about this a little while ago, they just laughed and told me they didn't want to spend this year in a warm sunny place. I found this weird. Who wants to spend Christmas day in a cold, dreary, snowy place like Radiant Garden when they can be on a tropical island with family?

Obviously, the two idiotic friends of mine.

And Kairi.

Can't forget Kairi.

"What do you want, Riku?" I asked, trying to find a way to get away so I could find Sora. I honestly wanted to ask him first. He'd probably have an answer I understood more than anything Riku said. No, it's not because I'm stupider than he is, but because I'm more like Sora. Or, that's what everyone keeps telling me.

"I never said I wanted anything from you. Just said 'hey.'"

He was so lying.

"Yeah, sure." I snorted. "If you didn't want anything, you wouldn't have said 'hey,' in such a weird ass voice. Now please tell me what you want. I have something else I need to be doing." Riku's grin disappeared completely when I said this. Why, I don't know, but I really wanted to.

He sighed and turned away. "It's nothing important. I was just wondering if your parents were holding a Christmas party again this year. Or, if they're not, if there's another one that rich people have to go to."

Okay, Riku won the award for 'most random question ever asked in an office building' right there. There were a hundred other questions he could have asked me that would be more relevant to what had been happening the past few days, like 'having fun with all the paper work you got left while you were gone?' or, 'why does your dad make you work on a holiday weekend?'

But no. He asked me about Christmas parties. Not only did I know nothing about those things, but I also planned never to attend one again. Not after last year. And Riku knew this. He knew this very well, as Axel told him and Sora the story about what happened last year, and I vowed to spend Christmas locked alone in my room.

You know, so Axel couldn't make me drunk again.

"I... don't... think so," I stuttered after a while. "But I honestly have no idea. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Riku started whistling, turning around to walk away. I think he was going to head upstairs to Ellie's office, like normal. The whistling part was shiver inducing, and totally didn't fit his image at all. I would have laughed, if the part of me that was freaking out hadn't taken over. I don't know why, but talking to Riku just made me feel more panicky about moving in with Axel.

So, I called out, "Hey, Riku! What do you do when you're in doubt?"

I nearly hit myself over the head for asking him that. Sure, it was basically how I was feeling, in doubt, but to ask _Riku_ of all people. And him _first._ If anyone, I should have asked Axel to see what he thought. But no. I asked the guy who hated me when we first met, who I've noticed has a small issue with my boyfriend, and who loves to make fun of me.

This was going to go over _so_ well.

His reaction, however, was not one I was expecting. "Depends on what it's about," he said, smiling at me. He crossed his arms and allowed his eyes to travel to the ceiling, like he was thinking of something else to say. "Sometimes I just go with my gut instinct, but most of the time I don't have any doubts, so it's not a problem. Other times, however, I run away. Childish, I know. Ellie and Kairi have both lectured me on that, but it's just the way I am."

That's probably the most open about himself Riku had ever been to me. Normally he would tell me something that sounded like him, cocky, arrogant, and making him sound perfect, but I later found out it would be a lie. This time, however, he was being completely open about being pathetic and childish, running away from his problems.

I desperately wanted to check and see if Riku had a fever again. Then he would be on cold medicine, which would explain all the crazy stuff he'd been saying.

Then again, he could have just been planning something really evil and wanted it hide it by being modest about something. You can never really tell with Riku which is the case.

"Um... thanks," I muttered in response.

"Why?"

"Huh?" No one normally asked me why I did the things I did. Sometimes they would, probably just to annoy me, but most of the time they just ignored all the crazy shit going on in my life and focused on more pressing matters. Even though they usually weren't more pressing matters.

"Why did you want to know? Is there a reason?"

"Um..." It took me about two seconds of self debating to decide whether or not to tell him the truth. "I was just wondering, in case something happens. You know?"

It was obvious Riku didn't believe me.

I just wished he would act more like he did.

"Fine. Whatevs."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Where's Sora?" Of course Riku would know where to find the happy-go-lucky guy. I should have just asked him to begin with, rather than inquiring about his question. Then again, I probably wouldn't have figured out the question I wanted to ask, so...

"Don't know. Don't fucking care."

Lovely.

* * *

I eventually found Sora, hanging around Kairi's desk in the lobby. She spent half of her time there, half of it next to Dad's office until he found a replacement for Naminé. He still hadn't bothered interviewing anyone.

Anyway, the two of them were standing there, talking in hushed voices about something that seemed important.

What was with everyone and acting weird?

Kairi and Sora never kept secrets from the rest of us. Or, I don't think they did.

I didn't feel like questioning it, though, so instead I just called out to them.

"Hey! Sora! Can I talk to you for a moment?" Sora jumped a foot in the air, eyes darting around the lobby like he was expecting someone to pop out of the shadows and kill him. When he saw me, his gaze relaxed a little bit, but he still looked on edge.

"Uh, sure, what do you need?" He grinned like an idiot. I could only roll my eyes.

"Well, I kinda wanted to talk to you in... um... private. Do you mind?" The two adults standing on the other side of the room exchanged glances. I think they were ones of confusion, but it could also be amusement I noticed in their features. It made me scared to think about it. After all, they could have been making fun of me.

"Yeah, no problem." He walked over to me, waving goodbye to Kairi, and the two of us headed out of the lobby in complete silence. There were only two other rooms on the first floor; the back office for the receptionist, and a strange storage closet. The first one didn't seem private enough, and the second seemed too... um... creepy to ask Sora a completely normal question.

Guess which is which.

"So, what did you want to ask me?" He eventually asked as we climbed the stairs to the upper levels. I don't remember getting into the stair well, but it worked. No one ever used them, after all.

"Well," I began, sighing, "I have a small problem about something, and I don't know what to do about it."

"So you came to me to get help? Roxie, I'm honored!" Sora took a quick bow, toothy grin spreading across his face. "So, what do you need to know? What's got you all confused? Does it have to do with work? Axel? The madness of Ellie and Riku? Parents?" He seemed so excited for absolutely no reason. It made me want to crack up.

"I was just... um... wondering if you... um... well, what you uh... what you do when you're in doubt about something?"

That took way too long to get out. I was so embarrassed to ask the question, which was stupid, and the fact that Sora had a dumb look on his face didn't make it any better. It was like he happened to be mocking me at that very moment, making me feel useless and annoying. I honestly don't know where those feelings came from, but hey, what can I say?  
"That's what you want to ask me?"

"Y-yeah."

"Honestly, I don't know," he replied. "I guess you could say I go on a run, or practice fighting with Riku. It always helps me clear my mind."

I couldn't help but wonder how Riku and Sora had survived this long in the world. One of them ran away from all his problems, and the other exercised and beat someone up. These two must have been dropped on their heads as babies or something. That would make everything about them understandable.

"Alright, thanks," I said, nodding. Of course, he hadn't really helped me, but I figured it would be a good idea to thank him anyway.

"You know, if you really want a good answer to that, you should ask Kairi or Ellie. I'm sure they'd have a better answer than any of the guys you asked. Well, besides Axel, but he's a different story," Sora explained, heading back down the stairs. "I suggest you start with Ellie. She'd be more willing to help right now when she's not as tired."

* * *

"I'm never in doubt."

That was all Ellie said to me. I'd just come right out and asked her after entering her office. She seemed busy, typing away at her computer, which is why I asked as quickly as I could. The atmosphere in the room was heavier than normal, and it was kinda freaking me out.

Any moment, and Ellie could snap.

"O-okay." I laughed nervously, then tried to say something else, but Ellie interrupted me.

"Now get the fuck out of my office. I don't want you in here right now."

That pissed me off.

"Okay, that's it! What is your problem with me!" I snapped, slamming my hands down on Ellie's desk. "What the hell have I ever done to you that made you so mad? Sure, I didn't tell you Axel had come back from Hallow Bastion, but you know what? I wanted to spend some time with him! I'm the one who went down there and found him, brought him back, tended to his wounds, and so on! I deserved to have some alone time with my boyfriend! So why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you," Ellie replied, eyes narrowing.

"Like hell you do-"

"You just irritate the shit out of me."

Of course. "Why do I irritate you so much then? What have I ever done?"

"Nothing. You just irritate me."

"Fine! Be difficult!" I didn't want to deal with this chick anymore, so I turned around to leave, planning on storming out angrily. You know, make an impression.

"You wouldn't understand, Roxas," Ellie's call stopped me in my tracks. I waited patiently for her to continue, irritation rising. "It has nothing to do with you, but everything to do with how fucking _obsessed_ Axel is over you."

"Why would that irritate you? You're not a part of it."

"I told you that you wouldn't understand. Now please leave."

This time, I did, grumbling to myself about the conversation. Ellie had certainly ruined my mood for the day. I just hoped Kairi could help me cheer up a little bit.

She was in the back office in the lobby when I found her, going through papers, looking extremely stressed out and frustrated. It was as if she were worried about something that you wouldn't think she would ever fret about.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked when I walked into the room. I swear she jumped two feet in the air, dropping whatever papers were in her hands.

"Shit!" She cried, bending down to pick everything up. Feeling guilty, I trotted over and began to help her. "Oh, thanks Roxas. I didn't mean to drop them, or cuss. I've just been feeling kinda out of it recently, plus now that you and Axel are back, things get done much faster, leaving me with more to do, and it's just been draining me." She laughed nervously, avoiding all eye contact with me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that's what happened-"

"It's not your fault. If Naminé hadn't left, this wouldn't be an issue at all." I flinched at the sound of Naminé's name. I still felt so bad about her leaving, blaming myself for everything that happened, and everything that went wrong with her.

"I'm still sorry," I told her, helping her up. "Anyway, I didn't mean to startle you. You seem busy, so I'll just-"

"No, no, don't go!" Kairi grabbed my arm with the hand that didn't have papers in it. "I know that you want to ask me about doubt, and I have an answer for you!"

"How-"

"Sora told me."

Sora had? I thought he'd just gone back to whatever job he was doing and leave it alone. I wasn't expecting him to go to Kairi and tell her what I asked. That was kinda irritating. "Why would he say that?" I eventually asked, feeling my anger rise.

"Do you know what you're like to Sora?" Kairi asked me, placing the papers on the table. I could only shake my head. "You're like a little brother to him, Roxas. He doesn't always act like it, but I know he looks at you and sees a little brother. You guys are a lot alike, plus you look similar. The fact that you asked him about this actually made him happy." She paused, smiling, but I was just confused. Sora thought of me as a brother? Where did that come from?

"For as long as I've known him, he's wanted one. He hated being an only child in his family. So, when you showed up here, innocent, vulnerable, and fun to mess with, as he puts it, Sora immediately took to you as a sibling. You won't see it, as you're an only child, but he treats you like he would a younger brother." Another smile. "And as Sora's girlfriend, I feel obligated to help you out."

Gotta love Kairi.

What would I ever do without her?

"Thanks, Kairi," I managed to say.

"Now then, you want to know what I do when I'm in doubt? Well, I talk to people. I find someone I'm close to and I talk to them about what problems I'm having. And if this problem of mine deals with a specific person, I go and have a conversation with them about what I'm in doubt about. They always appreciate it, and it helps clear up confusion." Next thing I know, Kairi's pushing me towards the door. "Go talk to Axel, Roxas."

I nodded, and reached forward to open the door, until I heard something.

Yelling.

From the main part of the lobby.

And the voices sounded like Riku and Ellie's.

Kairi and I exchanged glances of confusion, and I wondered what was going on. Sure, both of them had seemed irritated recently, especially Ellie, but I never thought they'd get into a fight. I didn't think it was possible for the two of them to really fight about something, but the way they were yelling at each other...

I couldn't make out what they were saying, however. It sounded really muffled, as though someone had put duct tape over their mouths.

But then, it all stopped.

That made me worried.

I threw open the door to the office and stumbled out into the lobby, Kairi close behind. Behind me the stairwell opened, and I recognized the footsteps of Axel and Sora, as well as their voices calling out to me, but I could only ignore them.

Standing in front of me, front facing the front doors, was Ellie, completely frozen, silent, and shaking slightly. Standing not too far away from her stood Riku, his eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, and his hands were curled into tight balls. I don't know what Ellie's reaction to the argument was, other than the signs from her back, but Riku looked not only pissed, but embarrassed as well, like he'd done something he wasn't supposed to.

No one in the room spoke for a minute, everyone's eyes on Ellie and Riku, but then Ellie's head bowed, and she did something I was not expecting; she bolted out of the building.

Not just ran, not just jogged, bolted. Moved so fast it was hard to believe she was human. She passed Riku avoiding all contact with him and disappeared beyond the glass doors, Kairi running after her. Riku, on the other hand, had looked down at his feet, and I think I heard him cursing. Finally, he too ran off, though towards me, rather than away.

"Riku?" I heard Sora ask. "What just ha-" His voice disappeared with the sound of the stairwell doors closing, leaving me alone in the area with Axel.

"Um...," I garbled, "I take it you guys want the rest of the day off?"


	47. A conclusion

**Full Chapter Title: A conclusion is simply the place where you get tired of thinking**

* * *

December 24, 2011.

Christmas Eve.

A time to love, party, have fun, drink, celebrate, and be joyous.

Right?

Wrong.

Well, not wrong for the rest of the world, but for me, Axel, Kairi, and Sora, it was pretty much a day of hell. I would include Ellie and Riku in the group of people, as they are my friends, you know, but the two of them _weren't fucking talking to anyone!_ In fact, they're the reason the day had become a living hell. The past three days, for that matter. Ever since that weird fight they'd had in the middle of the lobby, things had been horrible.

No one but Kairi had heard from Ellie, and even then Kairi told us she barely said a word, not leaving her room, and likewise with Riku. Sora had come up to me on the second day of this weird event and told me that Riku was at work but didn't talk to anyone.

It was true.

When I went to go confront Riku about what was going on, he grabbed me by the collar and threw me out of his office without saying a word to me.

And now, two days later, Kairi, Sora, Axel and I were at Axel and Sora's apartment, trying to figure out what to do about this whole thing. Every single one of us was frustrated with it.

"I say we kidnap Ellie and lock her and Riku in a closet together," Sora said, rolling his eyes. "You know, like what you guys did to me and Riku."

"That's a stupid idea," Axel retorted.

"I agree with Axel," Kairi said with a nod.

I just sat there and said nothing. I'd had nothing to do with the Halloween incident, being nothing but an innocent bystander who was lucky enough to witness the whole thing. I doubted, though, that the madness that worked for Sora and Riku, would work for the two fighting now. Mainly because Riku already knew it was a possibility, but also because Ellie wouldn't stand to be locked away.

"And why is it a stupid idea?" Sora leaned back in his chair, holding onto the kitchen table so he wouldn't fall.

I was expecting Axel to answer, but instead, Kairi did. "Because it's not you and Riku, Sora. You guys have known each other for as long as you've been alive. You have a way of working things out that the rest of us don't understand. Plus, we knew what was going on. We don't know what's going on now." She grabbed the edge of Sora's chair and pushed it back to the ground. "Understand?"

"I suppose." He did understand. I know he understood. He was just being a difficult annoying brat.

Like an older brother.

Or, I'm told that's what one's like.

I don't actually know anything about them.

"So, what are we going to do?" I finally asked. Even though I didn't actually want to know what the plan was going to end up being, as I planned to avoid every moment of it, I felt like I needed to ask. Show I'm engaged, and I care about my friends. If you could call Ellie that. Her comment about me irritating her still pissed me off.

No one seemed to know how to answer my question. The hot chocolate Kairi had made for us was still steaming in front of me, untouched. I was the only one who was in no mood to drink anything. This was not how I wanted to spend my Christmas Eve. Even staying at home with my family, or going to visit Hayner (who still wasn't talking to me) would be better than this.

And trust me, those things are pretty bad...

"I think," Axel eventually said, "that we should talk to Ellie and Riku. Find out what's going on."

"Uh, duh we have to do that," Sora said, rolling his eyes. "That much's been obvious from the beginning." He was obviously not happy with the conversation we were having, probably even more so than me.

"No need to get snippy with me," Axel snapped. "I was only suggesting something."

"Yeah? Well next time suggest something better, because I doubt talking to the two of them will have any effect!" He groaned and leaned his head in his hands. "They just had to do this now, didn't they."

Kairi's hand moved to Sora's shoulder, and I became confused. "What do you mean?" I asked. "What's so special about right now, other than the fact that it's almost Christmas?" Sora's head stayed down in the table, so I had no idea what his reaction to my question was. "What are you guys keeping from us?" This got Sora to have some kind of reaction. Not a good one, though. He jumped up from the table and glared at me.

"It's none of your business!"

"Sora!" Both Kairi and Axel reacted before I even knew what was going on, Axel grabbing Sora's wrist, and Kairi moving in front of him as I fell out of my chair, surprised. It looked as though Sora had been about to punch me.

I was so confused.

I thought he looked at me like some kind of brother or something.

"Don't get mad at Roxas, and it is his business," Kairi scolded, slowly pushing Sora back down in his seat. He was still glowering at me, and I remember Axel moving around the angry man to help me back to my feet, then after that Kairi sighed and turned to face me. "I'm sorry, Roxas, this is just really stressful for the two of us."

"Both of you?" Now Axel was as confused as I was. "Okay, what's going on?"

Sora looked away, like he was embarrassed or something, though I didn't know what could be so weird. Kairi too, seemed to be a little awkward.

"Well," she began, "it's actually not that big of a deal what's happening, but this whole thing with Ellie and Riku kinda made this news somewhat... well, miniscule. The two of us had been planning on telling everyone tomorrow, but now it's not that important."

"Yeah, and that's really irritating." Sora crossed his arms and glared at me. _Me_ for some reason. It could have been Axel, or even Kairi, but of course not. He was glaring at me like all of this was my fault. There was no way this thing could have been my fault.

"Okay, so what's this news?"

"Well, Sora and I are moving back to Destiny Island after the new year."

"What?"

Kairi looked extremely happy, as did Sora, but I know for a fact that I was in complete shock. How Axel acted I couldn't tell, as he was behind me now, but I figured it was similar to my own reaction: complete and utterly stupefied.

"Moving back to Destiny Island? Why?" I asked, trying not to stutter. "What happened?"

"Well, as you know," Kairi explained, "Sora and I have both been studying to get our college degrees, right? Well, last week we both finished all of our credits and I'm officially a registered nurse, and Sora got his teaching license, so we decided to move back to the place we grew up."

"O-oh," I muttered, looking away. Here I thought that nothing would change with me and my friends, but of course that wasn't the case. Of course...

"Yeah, so we were going to tell you that tomorrow, but then Ellie and Riku got into their weird fight, and we decided it wasn't the right time," Sora finished, looking a bit calmer. "So there. You know. Can we finish figuring out what to do about the two idiots?"

The only thing I could do was lay my head down on the table and groan. "Hold on, hold on, why are you guys going to do that?" I asked though my arms.

I could just imagine Sora rolling his eyes as his chair was pushed back. All of a sudden, my collar was grabbed and I was pulled off my seat and onto the ground. Axel gasped and yelled at Sora, but I figured I deserved it. I mean, my voice wasn't very nice when I asked that question, so obviously he wasn't happy with me at all.

"Why do you think? Because it's our home, dammit!" He glared at me then continued. "Riku may be happy here, but I prefer the place where I grew up, and Kairi agreed with me on this, so we've been planning to go back since we pretty much moved here."

"But we didn't tell Riku because we thought he'd be upset about it, and try to stop us."

"We thought it was time to do it now, but for now, Riku and Ellie are more important," Kairi said quietly. "Part of being friends, right?" I felt somewhat bad. Kairi and Sora were always kinda on the back burner of my life, and I never really paid attention to how my antics and problems affected them.

Or anyone, for that matter.

I wondered why I did that, sitting on the ground that day. I could only think about how I didn't really ever think about my actions and how they affected the people around me. How my being an ass hurt Axel, assuming things angered Riku, being a pathetic idiot annoyed Sora.

How keeping my feelings for Axel a secret hurt Naminé.

Sure, thoughts about this had crossed my mind before, and I even felt a bit guilty sometimes, but really the thoughts didn't stay with me long. Everything always came back to me in my mind, making me feel sorry for myself and I just wanted to blame everyone else for the things that went wrong in my life.

"Roxas? You okay?" Axel asked, and I could feel his hand on my shoulder. I hadn't even noticed that my head was bent, hands clenched, and eyes narrowed. Though I'm sure my eyes were covered by the hair that I'd let grow a bit longer than normal, I was sure Axel knew what was going on in my head, that I was angry about something. Chances are, he thought I was angry at Sora and Kairi.

I wasn't.

"I'm fine... I'm just..." I sighed and pushed myself off the floor, trying to decide what I could say to them. "When we've figured out what's going on, and get Riku and Ellie back together and not fighting anymore, I'd like to talk to you guys. Okay?"

Kairi and Sora exchanged glances, but nodded.

"Okay, so who am I going to see?"

* * *

They stuck me with Ellie.

Or, more like Axel didn't want to go alone, but he wanted to check up on her, and it made more sense for Sora and Kairi to go see Riku, as he was their best friend.

Still, it didn't make me very happy.

There I go, complaining again. Man, I have a problem with that, don't I?

Oh well. I have a good reason to not really want to talk to Ellie, as she's clearly stated recently that she hates me, which doesn't make any sense to the way she'd been acting before Axel disappeared, after I met Terra and Ven.

No complaining... No complaining...

"Roxas? You keep spacing out, and more than usual. You okay?" Axel and I were outside of Ellie and Kairi's apartment as I waited patiently for Axel to open the door. Kairi had given him a key earlier, so it's not like we were breaking and entering. We had permission to go in from one of the people living there. Ellie couldn't find any loophole in that.

"I'm fine," I managed to say, smiling. "Just... I don't know why Ellie's been acting so weird to me. I thought we were friends, and close, but then she said I irritate her... I just don't understand what's going on. I can't help but think I did something to set off this whole issue, and I feel pretty guilty." My eyes closed when Axel pulled me into a hug, and I felt like crying.

He was too good for me.

I wanted him.

I needed him.

But he was too good for me.

"I guess Ellie's reasoning for thinking you're irritating is the same as why I hate Riku so much." I pushed away.

"You hate Riku? Since when?"

"Since the day I met him, but that's not the point," he said with a quiet laugh. "Right now, we have an Ellie to go talk to, right?"

"I guess... But I still want to know the reason." I had to know the reason, whether it was going to be from Axel, or Ellie, I had to know why Riku and I were victims, and of what. Riku probably knew, actually, but still. I didn't. And this wasn't just about me. It involved Axel as well.

So I wasn't being all weird and selfish.

"Hm... maybe I'll tell you in a little while." Without saying anything else, Axel placed the key in the lock and opened the door, grinning at me. The two of us entered the building, and I expected something completely different than what was there. Maybe I'd see Ellie acting completely normal, just recovering from a cold, or maybe she wouldn't be there.

But no.

She was there.

Sitting in the living room.

In her pajamas.

Doing nothing but staring at the wall.

…. How does that make any sense?

Ellie. _Ellie_ of all people, was acting like some kind of angsty teenage girl whose boyfriend just broke up with her or something. It so did not fit her persona, and it made me feel slightly like the world was completely out of whack. Axel seemed to feel like this as well. When I glanced up at him, his face was pale, and the entirety of his body was shaking.

I placed a hand on his arm to try and calm him down, but for some reason, this attracted the attention of Ellie. Her tired eyes moved over to us, revealing a sallow face that looked slightly dead. When she saw us, a sigh escaped her lips and she lay down on the couch.

"Go away," she muttered, though it sounded like her voice hadn't been used in a really long time.

"Go away? You want me to go away?" Axel laughed, sounding like some kind of maniac who was going to kill us all. "And why the hell would I do that?"

"Because you're going to want to talk to me, and I have nothing to talk about."

"I just want to know what's going on."

"Nothing's going on. Everything's fine. What makes you think something's wrong? Huh? Can't I take a few sick days? Huh? Do I have to be at work every single damn day of my life? Do I? Do I?" She sat up again and glared at Axel, who only seemed able to take a step back. At the moment, I didn't care what was going on between Ellie and Riku.

I just wanted to know if she was PMSing or something, because _man_ was she acting like a bitch. More than usual, in my opinion.

"Look, Ellie, just tell me-" Axel started to say, but shut up when a pillow whacked him in the face. I couldn't help but let out a snort at that. It was just too funny how perfect the moment had been. Axel, however, didn't seem to find this very amusing, and he slapped a hand over my mouth to keep me from actually laughing. This only made me more amused.

So I licked his hand.

"Dammit Roxas!" He yelled, pulling away. I smiled up at him innocently, completely forgetting that Ellie was there until she giggled quietly. Only, it didn't seem like a happy giggle. More like some kind of depressed, doomed sounding one.

"I don't want to tell you."

Axel sighed, and after hitting me over the head for licking his hand, walked over to her. I rubbed the back of my head and watched in silence as my boyfriend sat down next to the horrible looking Ellie and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. A pang of jealousy ran through me, which was annoying and stupid. He was just trying to comfort her, be a good cousin and friend. I had no reason to be jealous.

No reason to want to leave.

No reason...

"Just tell me! I'm not going to hate you, or anything. What's going on with you and Riku? And why were you fighting?"

Tears formed in the corner of Ellie's eyes, but she wiped them away, trying not to let either of us know she had been about to cry. When I made eye contact with Axel, however, I knew that he knew.

"Riku was just being weird. More than usual," she began to say. She sounded embarrassed, like this was the worst thing that could ever happen to her. Made me kind of mad. Then I remembered that not everything was about me, and calmed down a little bit. Ellie had every reason and right to be upset, even though none of us know why.

"He kept telling me that he wanted to spend time with me on Christmas, but I always spend that day with Ansem. Three hundred and sixty-four days out of the year I'm Riku's, and on this one day I want to spend with the man who adopted me. Riku knows this. He knows that I need to spend time with my father. But he started telling me that he wanted to go on a date that night. I told him no, and that he needed to stop being so needy. It was one night. And my birthday, you know?"

I had no idea Ellie's birthday was on Christmas day. It must have been interesting for her to find Axel nearly dead on the street for her birthday...

"So, he was pressuring you into doing something you didn't want?" Axel's voice was low, dangerous, and rather scary. "That's it, I'm going to go beat up that son of a-"

"He was going to ask me to marry him."

I was so shocked that I nearly tripped over nothing. While not moving. Axel too, had to sit down so he didn't fall over from the surprise of what Ellie said.

Riku wanted to marry her.

He was serious about this.

I had so _not_ been expecting that.

"I asked him why he was so insistent on being with me that night, what was so special about it, why we couldn't just go out the night after that, or the night before, and he snapped. He yelled at me, 'because I was going to ask you to marry me, dammit!' I didn't know what to do. Then he told me he wanted to propose on my birthday. On the day we started dating six years ago." Ellie actually started crying again. "I couldn't do anything. I had to leave. I didn't want to, oh god, I didn't want to, but... but..."

"Why didn't you just say you would?" I asked, knowing those were the words on Axel's mind. He seemed to dead in the head to speak at all, let alone understand really what was going on. "Why did you hesitate, and then run? It's not like you."

By now I was on the other side of the couches, standing in front of Ellie. She was watching me sadly, with a bit of hate in her eyes. I was expecting that, of course. I'd just asked the question she'd probably been torturing herself with for the past three days.

"I was scared," she whispered. "I was scared, and surprised, and confused, and now..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Now I'm such a horrible person! Riku... he doesn't need to be with a woman who's too scared of even saying yes to a question she's been wanting to hear for the past three years."

"Then you're an idiot!" Everyone in the room jumped, especially me, who certainly wasn't expecting Riku to appear randomly in Ellie's apartment. I hadn't heard him come in, or anything. He just kinda... showed up. He looked furious.

"Riku, I don't think-" Axel started to say, but Riku shut him up.

"Axel, Roxas, get out of here. I want to talk to Ellie."

I backed away immediately, but Axel didn't. He took his sweet time making his way towards me, stopping right in front of Riku in the process, glaring at him. After a terrifying moment of a stare down, Axel nodded then moved away, grabbing my arm and dragging me out of the room...

...and into the kitchen so we could listen to the conversation going on in the other room. I hissed at Axel that we should actually leave, but he hit me over the head.

Jerk.

"Riku, I'm sorry... you... you deserve so much better than I do and-"

"Shut up Ellie." I could only imagine the scene taking place behind the wall. Ellie, sitting on the couch, blanket wrapped around her body, Riku standing in front of her, eyes closed, probably thinking of something to say. "Shut up... you think I deserve better than you? Well obviously you're an idiot. I can't have anyone better than you. There's no such thing." I could argue with that, but I also wasn't Riku. Then, his real speech began.

"You don't see what you've done, do you? What you've done to me, how you've saved me, changed my life, created happiness for me in a time when I thought I was going to die. When I thought dying was the only way to get out of the hell hole that was my life. I don't know what it was that attracted me to you on that day, why I sat next to you and decided to be a flirt, or why I started looking at you through the eyes of someone who could actually fall in love again. I don't know why I did, but I'm so fucking glad. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't be here with you. I wouldn't have experienced the six best years of my life. I wouldn't have fallen in love with the prettiest damn woman in the world."

I smiled to myself, thinking about Ellie's reaction to this. No doubt she was blushing. Who wouldn't be if a guy they loved just said that to them? At the thought of this, my hand moved to Axel's holding it tightly. He gripped my hand back, then leaned the back of his head against the wall, closing his eyes. He was not at all happy for some reason.

I knew I would have to figure out the reason later.

"There is no one better than you, Ellie, because no one could have saved me like you did. No one could have done that. Kairi would have tried, Sora would have failed after saying a single word, but you... you barely knew me and already saved my life. I love you, Ellie. I love you more than anything in this world, and I know you feel the same way about me. Though, I doubt you love me more than I love you. But it doesn't matter. I want you, Ellie. I fucking need you in my life."

Now I could imagine Riku moving closer to Ellie, than kneeling in front of her, grabbing one of her hands.

"So I'm going to ask you this time. This time I'm going to do it right." A pause. "Ellie, will you marry me?"

"Riku... I-"

"Will you marry me?" I smiled quietly to myself as I heard Ellie burst into tears.

"Yes!" There was a small crash from the other room, and I assumed Ellie hugged Riku, probably knocking him onto his back. No doubt she was kissing him.

My smile got wider, and I glanced up at Axel, expecting him to be happy for his cousin as well.

But he had a scowl etched onto his face.

* * *

"You two are getting married? When? Where? Will you let me plan it? You'd better!" Kairi was full of excitement when she and Sora showed up later. The six of us were sitting in Ellie and Kairi's apartment, or... I guess it's just Kairi's now. Soon to be no one's. Ellie rolled her eyes, a light blush still painting her cheeks, probably from what Riku had said. It was interesting to see her like that.

"I don't know, Kairi."

"Well, you guys will have to make sure to tell me ASAP, because I need to make sure both Sora and I are available, and here, when that happens!"

"Oh right, you guys are moving back to Destiny Island, right?"

"How did you know?"  
"Sora isn't very good at keeping things hidden."

"I didn't say anything!"

We all laughed at Sora's outburst, though the laugh from next to me was clearly forced. I glanced up at Axel for a moment, wondering what the hell could be going on in that genius brain of his. I knew he didn't like Riku, but shouldn't he be happy for Ellie?  
"Stop laughing at me! Anyway, Roxas, don't you have something you want to say to us?" Sora obviously didn't want the attention on him. So he moved it off to me.

He's can be such a jerk sometimes.

But I nodded anyway, and leaned away from Axel.

"I guess... well, it's been about a year and a half since I met you guys, right?" They all nodded. "So, I've been a complete and total selfish jack-ass during that time. To everyone, in my own way. Riku, you and I definitely got off on the wrong start, with me thinking Ellie had a crush on me and everything."

"Meh, I really didn't care. Just liked to see you scared," Riku said grinning. He was in a much better mood now...

"Jerk. Anyway," I smiled as everyone laughed, "Sora, I treated you like an imbecile, even though you're really not one, Kairi, it's my fault Naminé left, and probably my fault she didn't want to talk to anyone, Ellie... well, I don't really know what I did to you, but you seem to hate me anyway-"

"I don't hate you..." She this in such a way that just made me want to strangle the woman. Ever feel that way?  
"-and Axel. You're probably the one I tortured the most, for reasons you know as well as I do." He smiled up at me. A real smile. "So I wanted to thank you guys for sticking with me, being my friends as I went though all of these weird changes in life, grew up a bit, and I want to apologize for being so... um..."

"Horribly immature and bitchy?" Sora suggested.

"If you weren't on the other side of the room, I would have just slapped you, you realize that, right?"

"Of course."

As we continued to talk, laughing, having fun, sharing interesting stories, the clock ticked slowly towards the end of the night. And soon. It was Christmas day.

For the first time since Naminé left, and things just went crazy, really crazy, in my life, things seemed normal. Things seemed fun.

_I love my life._

It was really late when Axel took me home. Around three in the morning. But I honestly wasn't that tired. I just wanted to spend some time with him.

"Want to know what's interesting?" I asked, trying to spark some conversation. Axel's former somber expression had returned not long after our little party was over, and he hadn't spoken to me the entire way home. Kinda irritating, but what can you do?

"Hm?" He asked me this without even taking his eyes off the road, like he didn't really care.

"So much has changed over the past year. This time, last year, I hated you. I honestly thought you were the worst person in this world. Now, I can't imagine living my life without you." This made him smile. "But now, over the course of a day, so much has changed. Ellie and Riku are getting married, Sora and Kairi are moving away... going back farther, I'm probably never going to see Naminé again... my best friend won't talk to me."

At the thought of Hayner, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the rest. A warm hand wrapped around mine. I felt so happy for the comfort of Axel as I remembered the last conversation I'd ever hand with Hayner, how Olette told me he didn't even want to talk _about_ me, much less talk _to_ me.

He was one of the weirdest people ever.

"It's also weird," Axel mused, "how your view of the world changed."

"What?"

Axel laughed as he pulled into the parking lot to my home. "When I first met you, everything pissed you off. My music being too loud angered you to the point of hating me on first glance. You never talked to anyone unless it was necessary, you obsessed over some of the stupidest things. You wouldn't even let me talk to you." Axel's conversation was cut off when he opened the door and stepped out. I followed his lead, and was surprised to find it was snowing.

Snow...

I discovered I liked snow. Axel hated it, so he always wanted to just be with me when the white flakes were falling down from the sky. A lot of the time, he wouldn't even try and initiate sex. Just, lay next to me, holding me to his warm, warm body.

I liked that.

The two of us hurried into my apartment, trying not to get too cold. I actually wanted to be cold. A good excuse to be with Axel all night. Not that he was leaving anyway.

"Now," he finally said, continuing from before once we were inside, "now you act like nothing can phase you. You're quieter, you pay more attention to the world around you. You've grown up in the past year. Maybe it was the car accident that changed you. Maybe I'm the cause. Or maybe you just woke up one day and realized that your life has been pretty good, and you shouldn't complain. I don't know. I don't care why. I'm just glad you're you." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, leaning down to kiss me.

I reacted immediately to the warm lips pressed against mine, closing my eyes and smiling.

This is all I wanted.

But...

"Axel, why are you so upset about Ellie and Riku getting married?" I asked after he pulled away for air. I was panting slightly, so it was hard to get the words out, but once I had, Axel's mood changed immediately. He kissed me again quickly, then moved away, heading to my bedroom. I followed, curious.

"I've told you this before, but Ellie and I have a very... odd relationship. I love her, but not in the way that I love you. And she feels the same way about me. I guess you could say we both idolize each other." He said all of this while sitting down on my bed, looking up at me. I blushed, embarrassed by the intensity of his gaze. "I feel like... I feel like Riku's taking Ellie away from me, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"You do realize they're not going anywhere, right?" I asked, sitting down next to him, getting as close as possible. "She's just moving on with her life."

"I know, I know. And I have no right to feel this way! Ellie's my best friend. I should be happy for her. Still, when Riku asked her to marry him, I felt like something was being taken away from me. I guess this is how Ellie felt when I chose to be with you after coming back. That's why she hates you so much right now."

That made more sense.

Man, these two are so weird...

After a moment of silence, I grinned, realizing what I had to do. What I could do. What my right was. I stood up quickly and moved over to Axel, straddling his stomach as I sat down again. As quickly and forcefully as I could, I pushed him down on the bed, and smiled.

"I guess I'm just going to have to fill that hole you feel," I whispered haughtily in Axel's ear before kissing him. "So, Axel, I want to know: will you move in with me?"

I guess in a way I was making fun of Riku, and Axel knew it. Still, he grabbed my head gently and continued to kiss me deeply, eyes closing. I thought about everything we'd gone through since I'd met him, everything that'd changed me, everything that still could change.

My friendship.

My family.

My love.

My entire future was up for grabs.

I hoped it wouldn't change.

"Of course I'll move in with you. Got it memorized?"


	48. Author's Note

(was accidentally deleted. Sorry)

It's been over a year since I finished this story now. Almost two years since I started it. Came up with the idea that all spawned because I wanted to experiment in first person. I wanted to test and see if I could write like an 18 year old boy. Plus, I wanted to write an AkuRoku fic :3

So, what can I say about this story? It was fun to write. More than fun, in fact. It made me become closer to one of my now best friends who I see as as a sister, it gave me the courage to write my own original novels (which I have multiple of now), and it showed me I could, in fact, write a novel of such length that's engaging, funny, and popular. It let me know I can be published.

Hopefully this summer I will be.

Something I really know about this story is it changed me. I don't know what it was about it, but I'm a different person now. Maybe it was my reviewers (I love you all, by the way, even if you did start to dwindle at the end :D ), maybe it was the story line itself, maybe it was the fact it went into a part of me I always wanted to avoid. I was forced to look at my own abandonment issues that I forced onto Axel and Ellie, Riku, Sora, and even Kairi a little bit. Naminé too, but she's never really been an important character to me. She's only important because she's one of those people who got in the way of the love interest.

When I look back at the characters, I realize just how in depth they are. Even if you guys, the readers, don't know all of who they are, I do. I know all of their lives (they being Roxas, Ellie, Axel, Riku, Sora, Kairi, Cloud, Tifa, and Naminé) from the moment they were born, to the moment of their death. I know about their kids, about their parents, their struggles in life, their happiness, their sorrow. I know that four months after this story ends, Ellie's raped by Terra and nearly has a pregnancy scare. I know that Cloud retires the moment Roxas turns 21 because he's bored with life and is tired of spending all of his time away from Tifa. I know that Riku started doing drugs and only managed to stop his destructive life style because of Ellie and Axel. I know that Sora's mom was the town whore and he never forgave her for it. I know that Kairi nearly dies giving birth to her daughter, but survives only to find out she'll never hear the girl's voice. I know that Roxas gets Ellie to bend the laws so he and Axel could be considered married.

I know how each of them dies: Naminé by suicide. Sora by a car accident. Ellie by cancer. Riku because he didn't want to live without Ellie. Roxas by Alzheimers. Axel and Kairi by old age.

It's like these characters are a part of me, and they all had to deal with things that have plagued my life. Losing a mother (which most of them have in some way), being abused, losing your friends, being the loner, facing death, trying to cope with suicide. Maybe that's what changed me.

This story started out as something small. A short story with a small plot. Axel and Roxas were going to get together. It was just going to be a funny romance but it evolved into something much more interesting and deep. With each chapter I planned, the story got longer and longer until finally I ended it when the story of how Axel and Roxas got together ended. I could have kept going. A lot of stuff happened to these people after the last chapter. But I'm glad I didn't.

I hope this story wasn't just something to read because of boredom for some people out there. Maybe it talked to some people in the later chapters and gave them something to look forward to because life does change and it does get better. Even if it doesn't seem like it at times.

But anyway, this is just the ramblings of a nostalgic author. This story has been told, and it's done.

Well, not really.

A few months ago I made a decision. This decision wasn't easy for me. I like to keep things the way they once were and I hate change. But this story has changed and developed into something more in my mind, which is why I've decided I'm going to revise it. As an original story.

That's right. I'm rewriting Is there an Elephant in the Room? as an original story. Original characters, different writing, a slightly different plot and so on. Most things stay the same. I'm only on chapter 8 right now but I haven't changed too much. Roxas isn't as whiny and Axel's a bigger pain in the ass. Those are some of the biggest changes.

I don't know when I'm going to finish this revise, so I don't know when I'm going to go for publication. But it will happen eventually, and the moment I try to start looking for publishers, I have to do something sad.

I have to delete this story from this site.

So, maybe this is a mistake. But I think this story deserves to be on the shelves of a bookstore. I already have a book cover (two sexy men in suits. What's not to like?) and I've talked to a few publishers about how people would like this book. They all loved the idea. So I'm going for it.

To all of you who have supported me while I was writing this, thank you. I'll never forget any of the reviews I've gotten (mainly because I'll be saving them) and even though it might be years before I finally get all 47 chapters edited, I'm posting this now because I'm thinking about it.

Thanks to everyone and I can't wait to see this book as an actual book.


	49. Revision Update 2

_11/26/13_

_Tis me again. Sup y'all? Instead of adding more and more notes, I'm just going to add to this one and update it when I have news. I don't want people thinking this story's ridiculously long. _

_Anywho~ I have more news. I'm working on the third revise of Elephant now. Things are still changing, especially as I learn more and more about the characters, but that's not why I posted this. I posted this because I have good news; I found an editor._

_Now, she only has the first few chapters, but I'm one step closer to being published! I'm really excited for this. I'm working on the second draft of Birdie (renamed from Grapevine) and the third draft of Elephant, but I'm also working on a revised version of The Moment of Truth, which I'm turning into an original, and the third revision of The First Nine, which is a full on original story. So I'm rather busy, but hopefully soon Elephant will be sent off to a publisher and hopefully accepted sometime in the near future!_

_Thanks to everyone who stayed and continues to wait for the book to come out. When I have more revised I'll post a few scenes, but until then, later~_

_~Sune_

* * *

_HI THERE! I've been MIA for quite a while, but it makes sense since I've been working on publication (not for Elephant. Yet.) and other stuff. My first published work is actually coming out soon. It's only a prologue for a book written by someone else, but I still wrote it and it's going to be out there~ I'm really excited._

_Anyway, I just figured I'd let people who still follow this story have an update on revisions and publication. I'm currently working on the Valentine's Day chapter, and there's only a few more until the car crash, which is going to be intense. This story has changed. A lot. Especially after the car crash. It's almost a different story. But at the same time, it isn't. It's weird. I'm also going to split it into two books due to length; Is there an Elephant in the Room?, and I Heard it on the Grapevine. It's going to be interesting._

_So yeah. Here are a few little snippets from later chapters (the first one starting with Halloween) and ending with... well Dustin's birthday, because that's all I've written. Here are name changes:_

_Roxas: Dustin_

_Axel: Jake/Red_

_Riku: Ben (Benedict)_

_Ellie: Ellie_

_Sora: Akihito (Hito/Aki)_

_Kairi: Korey/Addi (Addison)_

_Naminé: Jenny_

_Cloud: Benjamin/Mr. Shier_

_Tifa: Stacia_

_Olette, Hayner, Pence: Maddy, Evan, Nick_

_Enjoy~_

I… I didn't know what to do. I sat outside my parents bedroom, listening to them fight. Actually fight. I'd only heard Dad raise his voice once before, and it was at me. Not Mom. I knew they argued, but never… never like this. Mom was screaming at him, talking about things I didn't understand. Even though I knew Mom and Dad spoke another language, Russian, both of them having grown up surrounded by wealthy Russians, they never taught it to me. They never spoke it at home. Only to each other.

The kept getting louder, words coming out faster and faster, and I pressed my hands to my ears. I wanted to leave, but at the same time I couldn't move. Everything I knew was wrong. They'd never fought before. Never. Or, if they did I hadn't heard them. Maybe in secret, but never when I was in the house.

The worst part?

It was my fault. The fight was my fault. I just… I felt so guilty. I sat there, in silence, listening to them fight, knowing I was the cause. If I'd never mentioned the man who told the four of us to leave the night before. If I'd just kept my mouth shut, they wouldn't be fighting. I don't know why it caused Dad to get so mad at Mom.

When I mentioned him, the fact he knew her, she went pale, and Dad's face fell. He looked over at her, and I could just see the anger. The clenched hands, tightening body, narrowing eyes… Mom had looked at him, barely turning her head to look at him. I couldn't only stand there in silence, eyes moving from one to the other without understanding the situation.

Dad told me to leave the room. No, he didn't tell me. He snapped at me to leave in a voice I'd never heard come out of his mouth before. Mom flinched and I moved without questioning anything.

Then the yelling began. Dad yelled first, and Mom was silent, or if she spoke I couldn't hear it. I hid behind a corner, listening. I wanted to know so badly what they were talking about, and I wished then, and only then, I knew the language. While I didn't cry, I wanted to.

Mom didn't start yelling at him till she exited the room and stormed upstairs, him close behind.

"Benjamin just drop it!" The English surprised me and I jumped, attention coming back to the present. The door opened and Mom ran out, hand to her eyes like she was crying. Mom never cried. Just like Dad never yelled. Just like they never fought.

I stood up, tempted to go after her, ask her what was wrong. Try and figure out what was going on, but Dad appeared next to me before I could and put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him, scared, but he looked more frustrated than angry.

"Dad?" I said quietly. "Dad, I… I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Dad replied and then he was gone, walking down the stairs.

"Dustin?"

"Um… yeah?"

"Have you ever had sex before?"

Okay. I honestly had not expected that question to come up. Not from Jenny. I just kinda stared at her for a while, mouth moving to make words, but no sound coming out. Maybe it was from surprise. Or maybe it was from total shock. Well, those are the same thing, but still. I couldn't speak.

"Have you?"

I found my voice and finally answered her. "Well… um… no. I mean, I've… I've um… I've gotten close, but never… never actually did anything." Two of the girls I dated in high school let me go farther than the others, but they still didn't want anything like that. Mostly we just lost some clothes, but never went any farther.

"Do you want to?" Again, I didn't know how to answer her, especially not when she shifted, moving to sit on my lap, hands going to my shoulders, and head leaning down to kiss me. This kiss felt different. It didn't… it wasn't gentle like before. More desperate, and determined than anything else. At first I wanted to tell her no, but then I'd be lying to her, and to myself. I did want it. And I had no problem going along with her, even if she was avoiding my questions, changing the subject and keeping me from speaking my mind.

When her hands moved to the bottom of my shirt, lifting it a little, I stopped thinking and let it happen. I needed this to happen. I needed the safe feeling she brought.

"Well, um…," Maddy said, her nerves showing through her tone. I wanted to laugh, but kept it down. "You're still dating Jenny, right?" I was kind of confused. Maddy had asked me this before, probably surprised I'd held a girlfriend for this long, but this time she didn't sound… surprised. I don't even know what she sounded like, to be honest. It just wasn't surprise.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? I really like her." Loved her, even. I wanted to say love, but for some reason the world wouldn't form. I shook it off, still watching my beautiful girlfriend while she and her cousin talked to Hito and a few others I didn't know.

"I dunno. I just figured you might be dating that guy you work with by now. Seems like he likes you."

I nearly dropped my phone when she said that. Dating Red? Is that who she meant? I knew it was, but I just didn't want to admit it to myself because then I'd feel awkward for immediately going to him. Except it was him, and I knew it. Hand now shaking, I pulled the phone away from my ear for a moment, staring at it, then shook my head and put it back in place. Maddie could say some of the strangest things at times.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked her, trying to keep my voice calm. "First of all, he doesn't _like_ me, he just doesn't know how to act around humans." He wasn't exactly normal to begin with. "Second of all, why would you guess that I'd date him? He's a him."

From the other end, Maddy started laughing. It was both an amused, and a sad, laugh, and it made me want to fly to wherever she was and strangle her. She was making fun of me, and I hated it when she did that. Wasn't often, but when she did it was because I was being really stupid, which I'd been trying to _not_ be since I graduated from high school.

When I asked her why she was laughing, words coming out from between my teeth, I swear I could _hear_ her roll her eyes.

"Dustin, I know you're bi."

"You know, this past year has been so weird for me," he muttered, standing up. Jake waited quietly, listening for something. "I mean, I've always gone through life without doing much of anything. My world has always… always been okay. Bad things happened last year, but those aren't important. This… this is important." He laughed. "All of you guys are important. I don' even know what I'd do without ya. Without any of ya. I mean, Hito and Korey are kinda just there, but I talk to you all the time. Ellie's saved my ass more times than I can count, and Ben's never denied me of a laugh before. And Jenny…." He turned around to look at Jake, eyes soft. Jake felt his stomach drop.

"I really love her, ya know? I've never felt this way about a girl before, but things just… just keep going… the world doesn't want us…." He sighed.

"The world doesn't want you…?" Jake asked, getting curious. As horrible as it was for him to feel joy at Dustin's news of issues with Jenny, he still would just go with it. There was no point in trying to deny his feelings when Dustin was drunk. He probably wouldn't even remember this conversation.

"I don't know," Dustin's voice was becoming slurred and he let out another laugh before slowly climbing onto Jake's lap, straddling his legs. Jake didn't move. He just stared at Dustin, not sure how to react. This was intimacy. Intimacy to the extreme. If he did anything, he would regret it, and he knew Dustin would too. "I don't know what the world wants. I just know that when I'm around you I get this… this feeling. I feel weird, you know? Like with Jenny, only different. You know?"

Jake could barely breath, and Dustin leaned in closer, his hands passing Jake's ears to press into the couch. Jake's drink was still in his hands, and he wished it wasn't, so he could touch Dustin, but maybe it was a good thing. Or maybe it was a bad thing.

"Dustin," Jake whispered, moving forward to place his drink on the table, "what are you doing? What do you mean?" Once his hands were free, they moved to Dustin's hips, keeping him in place. The boy smiled.

"I…." His face came closer, hands moving to the back of Jake's head, grabbing what he could of his hair, "I don't know what I mean. But I think I'm really… so really… right now…."

"What?" This couldn't be happening. Jake's heart was beating faster than he'd ever felt it before. Even after running a mile in high school, or when he first got kissed. Every nerve in his body tingled, telling him to do something. Not to wait. Still, he waited.

"I think I'm just so really liking you right now. I'm attracted to you," Dustin muttered, and before Jake could respond the boy pressed his lips to Jake's. He gasped at the feeling. They were so soft. So delicious, even if they tasted of vodka. It didn't take long for Jake to respond, wrapping his arms around Dustin's waist, eyes half open, as he took in every part of Dustin's face. The boy's eyes were closed, and he pushed himself father onto Jake's body.

Anger swelled in the pit of my stomach. Before I could stop myself, I stomped on his foot, hoping to get him away from me. All of the words I've ever wanted to say to him, all the lectures, all the yelling, and all of the frustration came out in that one attack, and he flinched, but didn't move away. Glaring, I grabbed his collar.

"Don't," I hissed, "call my girlfriend a bitch."

His fist banged next to my head, eyes narrowed, but didn't say anything. So I continued.

"What's with the two of you anyway?" I asked, not sure where this would end up. "One minute you're best of buds, and the next it's World War III in the office. All you guys do is fight, get at each other's throats. I'm so sick of it all! I'm sick of how you treat me, and I'm sick of Jenny telling me to stay away from you. I'm done! Tell me, right now, what's going on!"

"Shut up," Red growled. "It's not important."

Not important? I'd show him not important. Treating me like some kind of insolent brat who didn't need to know anything. "What about today, huh? The way you've been acting today? The way you treated me, then changed the moment something was wrong with Ellie. Why can't you act like that all the time? Kind, caring, and just overall human! Not some freak of nature like always. Jenny hates you because you treat her like shit!" It wasn't true, but I didn't care.

"I thought I told you to shut up," he hissed, voice icy and venomous.

I didn't want to shut up though. Seven months worth of anger was pent up in me, and I was determined to get it out now. It was right before the new year. Why not start fresh? Of course, that wasn't on my mind. "You know, I bet Jenny cares more about Ellie than you do." I knew I was hitting a bad spot. The way his face fell, the way his body shook. It was obvious he felt something similar sometimes. Maybe not involving Jenny, but something. So I decided to push the spot. Make him bleed. "At least she's cried."

Jake's hand moved to cover my mouth, and I felt a little bad. There were tears in the corner of his eyes. "Stop it."

With a burst of adrenaline, I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from my mouth, twisting it into a grin. "What's wrong? Can't take the truth? I figured someone like you could. I thought you were a genius, after all."

I started laughing, but stopped when Red grabbed my collar and shoved me against the wall, hissing at me not to push him. For a brief second I stared into his eyes. Then my laughter returned, and I just rolled of my eyes.

"Aw, don't tell me the big bad ginger is angry." I put my hands on my cheeks. "Oh no. I'm so scared Mommy. Help me!"

"I'm warning you." He sounded serious, but I just laughed again. I guess my emotions were getting the better of me, because I was acting so weird. So different. Almost terrifying. I was scaring myself, to be honest. I wanted to stop, but my body wouldn't let me. Everything I said came out without my permission. Yet, I wanted to say it. I wanted to make him angry. Upset him.

There was something wrong with me.

"Warning me? Why, whatever could you do to me? You're nothing more than a jerk who thinks he owns the world. So look, whatever your name is," I could have said his name. I knew it. I just didn't want to. I wanted to annoy him. Anger him. "There's nothing you can ever-"

Red grabbed my collar again, but this time pulled me forward, shutting me up. It wasn't like before, where his hand covered my mouth. This time his lips did. I just stood there, unable to move, eyes wide as he pushed me back against the wall, hands moving to my waist. At first I didn't know what to do, but… but it felt right, and I relished in the feeling.

I didn't fight him at all when he forced my mouth open, kissing me deeper, nor when he grabbed my face, pulling it up to his. His eyes were closed. Before I knew it, so were mine. When he pulled away, I didn't know what to think. I didn't have_ time _to think before he kissed me again. This time I just opened my mouth on my own, letting him slip his tongue it. For some reason it all felt familiar. For some reason it felt good.

He kissed me again. And again. And again. I just let him do it, arms hanging by my side, back pressed against the wall, face in his warm hands.

This… it felt right.

"My dad's dead."

He choose the perfect moment to speak, because right as he said those three words, Ellie choked on the piece of omelet she was trying to ingest, and had to cough a few times to keep from choking. All the while, Jake sat there, unmoving, and watched her struggle, until finally she took in a deep breath and dropped her fork.

"Wait, Uncle Lucas is dead?" The idea was unfathomable.

"Yes, Ellie," Jake snapped, "your uncle is dead and your dad never told you. He's was just going to keep you forever in the dark and never tell you anything about it." Ellie flushed, and took another bite of omelet. "My actual dad. The guy I'm genetically related to. Not Lucas."

I watched Jake from across the room, waiting for him to get my text. He did, eventually, and pulled out his phone like it was no big deal. Then he saw who it was from.

And he sent me the most deranged look I think I've ever seen on his face. It was like some kind of confused squint if it was on the face of a dog and mixed with the "holy shit what's going on" look of a cat chasing a laser pointer.

It took all I had not to laugh.

_First of all, why are you texting me in a meeting? Second of all, why are you texting me?_

His answer made me smile. This was more like the conversations we'd had back before New Years.

_I'm bored. I lost track of what… prissy-dude up there is saying and now I don't want to figure it out._

_This is why I didn't want to go to this with you. You don't take this job seriously._

_It'd be easier to take it seriously if you hadn't made out with me on New Years._

Jake didn't answer at first. In fact, he put his phone away completely and turned his complete attention back to the meeting. His jaw was tight. I don't think he was actually paying attention to what prissy-dude was saying — though knowing him he'd come out having all the information stored in that brain of his — and I regretted sending that text. We didn't need to talk about… that over the phone.

Finally I got an answer.

_I already apologized. What more do you want from me?_

What did I want? Oh I don't know. Not for it to have happened? For him to be just as annoying and loud as before? For things to go back to normal?

_An explanation._

The moment I sent that text the guy sitting next to Jake caught my eye and I flushed. All he did was smirk though, and glance over at Jake's hands, probably trying to read what I sent. I wondered if he'd read anything else I sent to him, or if he just put two and two together. Either way, I didn't like him knowing.

_I don't have one. It just happened._

_Bullshit._

_It's true!_

_Sure it is. I want an explanation._

Jake sighed, again, and sat on the edge of his bed, facing me, his knees almost touching mine. "I kissed you for the same reason I like being around you. For the same reason I don't like you dating Jenny. For the same reason it made me happy to hear you defended me against Jacobson. I kissed you, because I'm practically in love with you."

For a second nothing was said. Nothing was done. Jake was very close to me, green eyes unblinking as they kept direct eye contact with me. I almost thought he was going to kiss me again, and I waited for it to happen. But instead he pulled away and stood up, heading to the other side of the room.

"I…." I wanted to tell him. "I think I might have the same feelings." Well it was better than nothing. Jake just snorted.

"Yeah, but you're dating Jenny."

"And that's where we run into a problem." I had no issues liking Jake. In fact, admitting to myself, and to him, that they were there almost made me feel better about everything. At least now I was being honest with myself. "I'm not going to leave her for you."

Jake didn't say anything at first. He just stood there with his back to me. Finally, though, he threw his towel to the ground and stared at me with a clenched jaw. Clenched fists. He was pissed, and I stood up to walk over to him.

"It's not that I wouldn't date you, I just won't leave Jenny to do it. I love her." He was just a passing feeling. In twenty years when I was married, with kids, I probably would look back at this and laugh. He and I would be good friends. This was just a one time thing. Just a small crush on a hot guy who liked me back. "I just need to know what we're going to do about this tension between us because it's not fun and I want it gone."

A hand reached out and touched my face. It was warm and damp.

What happened next… I can't say. He said something. I said something. Then I was kissing him and he was pushing me toward the bed.

A one time thing.

It'd just be a one time thing.

"So… you like Jake?" Jenny's voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear her.

"Yeah. I guess. Something like that."

"You don't seem too weirded out by it," she commented. The chains of the swing squeaked, and I looked down. She wasn't standing, but she was swinging back and forth a little.

"I… I've been attracted to guys before," I said, finally coming out to her. "I dated one in high school. It… didn't go well but it was probably the most natural relationship I've ever had. Well, before this one." I wasn't lying to her. Kyle might have been natural to me, but Jenny… felt right. Like I was supposed to be with her. "But you know it's over, right? I don't…." I didn't know how to explain to her that I was done with those feelings. They were locked away in a place where they would disappear forever.

Yet the words wouldn't come out.

"It's okay to like him," Jenny grabbed my hand, moving my swing too. "You shouldn't try to hide your feelings. It hurts and just makes things worse."

"But I love you!" I squeezed her hand back and looked at her. Her eyes were red. "I don't want to lose you either. I don't…."

"Dustin?"

"What?"

This time she did stand up, and she pulled me along with her so we were standing in the moonlight, holding hands, staring at each other. The only other light was from a lamp about a hundred feet away, and it casted a yellow glow across her face. Slowly she leaned up and kissed me. Just a touch of lips. Neither of us tried to push it farther.

"I love you too, Dustin. But I can't… date someone who has feelings for another person."

"Jen, don't…."

She kissed me again to shut me up. This time I wrapped my arms around her waist, trying to hold back the burn of tears, and kissed her back. She pulled away.


End file.
